School News, NZ - Term 3 - 2020

SchoolNews The essential industry guide

Issue 50 | Term 3, 2020 | NZD $12 incl GST | schoolnews.co.nz

Principal Speaks Caring for the earth and connecting to nature

Special Report Generation COVID: How to prepare school leavers for this economy Essential Reading for Principals • Department Heads • Teachers • Professionals

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Inside our term three issue Front Desk Editor's Note: COVID-19 consequences will colour 2021........................................................................................ 05

News In Brief 06

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PO Box 5104, Papanui, Christchurch, 8542, NZ Phone: (03) 365 5575 Fax: (03) 365 1655 mail@schoolnews.co.nz www.schoolnews.co.nz ISSN: 2624-2389 (Print) ISSN: 2624-2397 (Digital)

EDITOR Rosie Clarke, editor@schoolnews.co.nz STAFF WRITERS Mandy Clarke & Lucinda Dean DESIGN & PRODUCTION Richard McGill, production@schoolnews.co.nz ADVERTISING Dee Dawson, advertising@schoolnews.co.nz CONTRIBUTORS Dr Denise Quinlan, Dr Hiran Thabrew, Stuart MacAlpine, Dr Maia Hetaraka and Richard Wallis.

Education Special Report: Generation COVID – How to prepare school leavers for this economy................................................... 10 Principal Speaks: Caring for the earth

12

Suppliers share their views in one-off, topical pieces

04

Resetting hearts & minds: opportunities for transformation from turmoil..................................................... 16

Administration

Technology Digital is the ‘new-school’ way to communicate............... 20 Interactive education: One size no longer fits all.............. 22 St Peter’s Cambridge embraces interactive classroom tech........................................................................................ 23

Teaching Resources Fostering self-confidence in the maths classroom.......... 24 Book Reviews........................................................................................... 28

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School News Classroom Resources Directory.................. 28

What’s Hot

29

Teacher's Desk Returning to school after lockdown: Ten ways to support students’ mental health and wellbeing.......... 30 Whole-school wellbeing is a marathon not a sprint....... 32

Health & Safety

32

School parking pitfalls: Is the run, walk or roll to your school stressful?..................................................................................... 34

Food & Beverage Food practice: Possibilities for social and vocational development.......................................................... 36

Sport & Recreation Locking down professional quality sports surfaces....... 38

Commercially funded supplier profile or supplier case study

General editorial. Case studies and features may cite or quote suppliers, please be aware that we have a strict ‘no commercial content’ guideline for all magazine editorial, so this is not part of any commercially funded advertorial but may be included as relevant opinion. Happy reading!

Why some learners thrived in lockdown................................ 14

Turning up the volume on future-forward libraries.......... 17

KEY

Supplier information or content

and connecting to nature................................................................. 12

Property

50 FRONT DESK

Listen here: How acoustics impact learning....................... 42 Switching the lights back on post-COVID............................ 44 Communicate better with paging and PA systems......... 48 Why schools need compost......................................................50 Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

EDITOR'S NOTE

COVID-19 consequences

will colour 2021 As I write this, New Zealand schools are busy recovering from the last six months.

While lockdown protected us from the severe public health blow other countries have faced, students, staff, and families are still experiencing massive consequences to their financial and emotional wellbeing. We will likely face constant pushpull as our government tries to reinstate the status quo without inviting second, third, and fourth waves. Without a vaccine, it is likely we will see continual outbreaks and experience a seesaw of restrictions. Hopefully, our tight border control will continue to keep numbers low. Australia’s second wave has shown us all how quickly community transmission can set in. COVID-19 is arguably the single greatest disruption we have experienced as a collective society since the second world war, and it has undeniably touched most articles in this issue. But it is not all doom and gloom! We have seen some amazing achievements (congratulations to the first maths teacher in NZ to win the PM prize!) and inspiring ingenuity across the education sector.

In our special report, we discuss how school leavers are coping with disruption this year, and what schools are doing to support their upcoming transition. Later, we speak to families who thrived in lockdown because remote learning met their child’s needs. Green School’s very own Principal, Stuart MacAlpine delves into a fascinating exploration of moving towards a more sustainable schooling approach.

Check out his Principal Speaks column to read about the challenges and joys he faces at one of the country’s most unusual schools. We also have a composting story that might Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

Rosie Clarke,

Editor, SchoolNews editor@schoolnews.co.nz

just inspire you to get in the bin!

Dr Maia Hetaraka talks to us exclusively about the future of Māori education, while Dr Hiran Thabrew and Dr Denise Quinlan provide some insight and advice on boosting student and teacher wellbeing.

In the technology section, we talk about how educators have now experienced first-hand the dos and don’ts of online teaching. We have all been forced to acknowledge how vital connectivity, digital curriculum development and interactive technology are to 21st century education: we must close the digital divide in our schools!

We also look at the importance of mathematics and discuss how it is not just a steppingstone along various STEM pathways.

We showcase some interesting research that questions why girls and Māori mathematic learners tend to grow less confident in their abilities. It seems there is a need for schools to assess their maths pedagogy and the culture they create in the classroom.

As usual, we provide some practical updates on all the latest products and services available to schools in areas like car park safety, sports surfaces, kitchen equipment, classroom acoustics, and LED lighting.

Enjoy this issue of School News, and stay safe!

Noho ora mai FRONT DESK

05

“Too much is being asked of schools”, say 72 percent of primary principals Twice the number of primary teachers feel unsafe

solution, what is the problem?

©tiero - stock.adobe.com

There is a growing number of primary teachers who feel unsafe in their classroom, according to the survey; 24 percent, up from 12 percent in 2016.

Further positive shifts in how schools support student wellbeing were also evident, and teachers and schools seem more alert to students’ mental health needs.

More parents saw their child’s teacher as committed and enthusiastic, and felt their child’s cultural identity was recognised and respected than in 2016.

“There are some really positive changes occurring in primary schools”, Dr Cathy Wylie, chief researcher, said. “However, the survey findings also point to the need for schools to have more support.”

•

•

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72 percent of principals say too much is being asked of schools, up from 53 percent in 2016, and 42 percent in 2013.

Principals in 2019 have higher stress levels, are more tired, and more say they do not have enough time for

•

63 percent of principals identify support for students with mental health or additional wellbeing needs as a major issue for their school.

The survey found that only 46 percent of primary teachers thought their workload was fair and only 38 percent thought their work-related stress was manageable. A quarter thought their workload was so high that they could not do justice to the students they taught.

•

41 percent of principals still need but cannot access external expertise to implement reliable strategies to improve Māori student learning

“These issues are interlinked.

The more time teachers have to work on building relationships with students exhibiting extreme behaviour, the better the outcomes will be,” said Rutherford.

25 percent of primary teachers often experience student behaviour that causes serious disruption in their class, and another 42 percent experience this sometimes.

Teacher aides: are we asking the wrong question?

educational leadership.

•

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Parents of students with disability or learning support needs are less positive than other parents about their child’s learning and school experiences.

The NZCER 2019 national survey of primary schools was sent to principals, teachers, school trustees, and parents at a representative sample of 350 primary and intermediate schools.

Responses were received from 145 principals, 620 teachers from 181 schools, 126 trustees, and 395 parents from 170 schools.

Although the survey response rate was relatively low, the responses came from a broadly representative spread in terms of school characteristics.

Photo by Nathan Lemon, Unsplash

Results from NZCER’s latest three-yearly national survey of Englishmedium primary schools show more attention is being paid to improving school experiences and outcomes for Māori students, Pacific students, and students with disability or learning support needs in 2019 compared with 2016.

NZEI Te Riu Roa president, Liam Rutherford said the findings were deeply concerning and urgent investment in learning support and addressing teacher workload should be provided.

Professor Missy Morton at the University’s Faculty of Education and Social Work believes the bigger question remains that if teacher aides are the

NEWS IN BRIEF

“I think we still need to be thinking more ambitiously about how we set up our aims and strategies for an inclusive education system,” she said.

“Should it be about dealing with one child at a time or reforming a fundamentally exclusive – and excluding – system that we inherited from our colonial foundations?”

She believes educators have spent the last 150 years “tinkering with the system” to make it more responsive to particular students, often at the expense of others.

“In the early days of trying to make it possible for more children with learning support needs to attend their local school, teacher aides (TAs) were intended to ‘ease’ this process by making it less of a ‘burden’ for schools and teachers,” she explained.

This worked better in some settings than others. “For example, there have been many stories where schools wouldn’t enrol a student if there was no funding for a TA, and there have been schools who have sent a student home when that student’s aide wasn’t able to come that day.”

And because the TA’s job is directly linked to the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS), which can only be applied for to fund individual students, the aide is officially there for that student rather than to support the teacher to offer the best experience to the whole class.

“A significant consequence of this has been that for some students, almost all of their time is spent with the TA as the only teacher, and whatever good intentions a TA might have, they are not in a position to implement change in a classroom or school.”

She argues schools need support to imagine better ways of working with TAs to make the best use of their potential to support teachers, so that all students are genuine members of classrooms and wider school communities.

Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

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NEWS IN BRIEF

induct students again into the routines and expectations of classrooms. This commonsense stance is supported by research that consistently links the quality of peer relationships and sense of belonging to school to academic achievement.

“Once imagined, how can schools shift a culture that possibly needs a nudge to be more inclusive?”

Teacher aides have a range of duties including helping particular students with their learning, taking smaller groups for reading or other subjects and helping with things like eating, drinking, changing for sports or using the bathroom.

They are entirely dependent on that ORS funding; so, no funding, no TA hours, and that creates knock on effects for students’ participation and attendance.

Parents also play an important role.

“It seems that many parents have taken their roles as home tutors seriously,” note the authors. “Where parents spent time engaging with the ideas, listening to their children, encouraging effort, this time will have been productive.”

Another area where TAs are invaluable is helping students to participate in clubs and groups, school performances, sports days, and most importantly, supporting them to just ‘hang out’ and get to know others in the class, she noted.

“They can also build a bridge between student and teacher where there has been lack of connection, which involves quite a skill set and a lot of perseverance. In effect, a really good TA potentially works themselves out of a job!”

In the worst-case scenarios, she said a school or classroom teacher may be reluctant hosts to a student with learning support needs. “Sadly, there are some schools and teachers who don’t believe that all children can learn.”

“There has also been a lack of opportunity for professional development and no clear career structure, and these aspects are on the radar for future announcements; the devil is always in the detail.”

So, there’s still a long road ahead before the teacher aides’ role is fully utilised and the New Zealand system includes all learners, she believes.

Maths education should focus on relationships not ‘catching up’, warn researchers Post-lockdown disruption, two professors have stressed that rushing through content to stay on schedule will only compound learning losses.

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Photo by Annie Spratt, Unsplash

“When TAs take up these kinds of responsibilities, the classroom teacher is available to do some focused work with the student(s) with learning support needs, and together, the teaching team design resources for the diverse needs of all learners.”

While there may be pressure on teachers to make up for lost time, they should focus on rebuilding classroom relationships, avoid rushing through content missed during lockdown, and preference a deep understanding of a few topics over a superficial understanding of many, two maths education researchers have argued.

Published in Mathematics Education Research Journal, a new paper by Professor Peter Sullivan of Monash University and Professor Janette Bobis of the University of Sydney, has argued that education leadership and wider school communities need to trust teachers’ professional judgement. The professors have noted there is a new opportunity for greater partnership between parents and teachers, especially where parents have become more hands-on in their children’s education.

The study found that while remote learning has its strengths, and parents and teachers have done a great job in the circumstances, students are likely to have lost opportunities to deeply engage with maths concepts, which places new pressure on teachers.

Students may have fallen behind, creating a temptation to cover a lot of ground quickly and focus on easy rules students can learn and follow. But this would be a grave mistake, the researchers have warned: “Generally, teachers are conscious that students should be talking at least as

much as them if not more, and that slowing the pace of teacher explanations is important.

“Speeding up will not help.

Approaches that emphasise understanding are likely to be better for learning than rules based approaches. It is preferable to engage students in thinking deeply about fewer topics over the rest of this year rather than superficially about many topics.”

During remote learning, students may have had plenty of routine exercises, but little in the way of solving harder problems for themselves. It is important for teachers to continue to challenge students to think deeply about problems and understand what they are doing, while providing support to avoid frustration.

While some students may have struggled to learn at home, fallen behind, and become unengaged, others may have “become used to easy successes; tasks that require extended thinking might seem confrontational,” noted Professors Sullivan and Bobis.

“Teachers perhaps could lead discussions specifically intended to create awareness among students including how school and home learning are different.”

Students will also need to reconnect with their teachers, peers, and school community. “It is possible that students missed their friends more than they did teachers,” say the authors, “and there will be a need to

NEWS IN BRIEF

“Parent engagement is associated with high levels of aspiration for children’s learning as well as learning outcomes. Finding ways to broaden the nature of home learning experiences will be an important challenge for some time.”

“We believe our advice is likely to align with most teachers’ professional judgements, and we want to reassure them that this is the right approach,” said Professor Sullivan.

1st maths teacher to win big PM prize Christchurch maths teacher and winner of the 2019 Prime Minister’s Science Teacher Prize, Dr Michelle Dalrymple found a new way to solve for ‘x’ by bringing her pups into the virtual classroom to better engage students. Dalrymple’s two dogs, Cornelius and Daisy, are featured in video exercises on random sampling, which she told the Royal Society Te Apārangi has gone down particularly well with students. The Christchurch educator has captured the nation’s attention as the first maths and statistics teacher to win the highly coveted Prime Minister’s award, appearing on a live-streamed celebration event early this term.

School News would like to congratulate the mathematics and statistics faculty head at Cashmere High School, for her well-deserved win! Dalrymple has said a fundamental part of her teaching is incorporating whanaungatanga, or teaching through relationships.

Her nominator expressed that her teaching stands out because it is strongly based on cuttingedge mathematics and statistics education research, while providing creative and fun strategies to inspire her students.

Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

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SPECIAL REPORT

ID V O C n io t a r e Gen How to prepare school leavers for this economy

By Rosie Clarke, Editor

This is not a drill.

COVID-19 has made it unequivocally clear how inequitable our society has become. Young people have borne the brunt of job losses, with a 75 percent increase in those under 30 receiving the Jobseeker Support benefit or the COVID-19 Income Relief Payment since February. ‘First in first out’ is the status quo as younger workers suffer proportionately much higher rates of unemployment and struggle to find new jobs.

longer than previous generations, with less upward mobility.

Gig economy workers and contractors notably do not qualify for paid sick leave and are more likely to work while sick; they also do not qualify for COVID-related wage subsidies. Employment New Zealand also notes youth employment is hampered by older generations retiring later, and a decrease in “job quality” or jobs with development opportunities that would contribute toward a career path.

So, school leavers are heading into a slew of, let us be frank, unsustainable industries littered with casual work and fewer promotional opportunities.

Bleak job prospects tend to push more people into higher education.

The Ministry of Education confirmed this in a recent forecast, with domestic student enrolments rising across the board. The government responded by earmarking stimulus packages to extend fees-free spots on vocational courses.

The pandemic brought the harsh realities of our increasingly casualised workforce to the forefront, with young people (and particularly university students) most affected. The number of young people trying to make a living on ridesharing and food delivery apps has increased while industries that used to hire full-time or part-time employees now favour contractors and casuals. According to Per Capita research economist Shirley Jackson, many entry level jobs that were cut during the last recession have never returned, partly due to the rise in automation, which has kept young people in casual food services and hospitality work for much

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EDUCATION

However, universities are set to lose $200 million due to diminished international student enrolments, and rising numbers of domestic students will not fill the void, according to Universities NZ director Chris Whelan.

This will have a huge knockon effect: universities rely on international student fees to cross-subsidise domestic courses. Less than one-third of university income is funded by government tuition subsidies for domestic students; domestic students themselves account for an additional 18 percent.

Universities may hike domestic fees, similar to what we have seen in Australia recently, and make severe cuts unless stimulus funding can fill the gap.

Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

Tertiary Education Union leaders have urged the government to support public universities with a targeted stimulus package but, so far, most recovery assistance has been funneled into private vocational training providers, schools, and online learning development.

What does this mean for school leavers? They are entering a precarious environment with limited options and, unfortunately, no straightforward immediate solutions.

I contacted more than 20 schools, post-lockdown, to find out how Year 12 and 13 students were coping, what their outlook is like, and what schools are doing to help them prepare for their future. For Year 13 students, in particular, the changes to UE requirements announced by NZQA seem to have helped significantly by removing standards from various programmes, reducing stress on learners and staff.

Multiple schools noted that some students did not engage with online learning and had to be

followed up but each school put additional support in place to help them catch up and none of the schools I spoke to viewed lack of online learning engagement over lockdown as a severe problem.

Overall, however, I received very few responses from schools and the responses I did receive were, perhaps surprisingly, quite optimistic. Principals told me their students had returned from lockdown “miraculously resilient” and “positive”, ready to “get back into the swing of things” and make the most of what remains of their time at school. While this was terrific to hear anecdotally, reports of significant mental health decline among 18 to 25-year-olds during COVID, are concerning. A tracking study by Swinburne University, for example, found depression scores for this age group were almost four times higher than usual and the results were similar for anxiety and stress. It is vital schools continue to focus on student wellbeing to make sure today’s Year 13 students have the tools they need to navigate the difficult transition years ahead. Financial literacy is also more important for today’s school leavers than ever: as Jackson notes in her research, “people entering into university at the age of 17 or 18 are not just learning about a subject area that interests them and entering into a financial arrangement, but they’re also expected to shoulder the responsibility for an investment that they might not understand”.

in the last term, as Otago Girls’ High School Principal, Linda Miller revealed. “There was a noticeable increase, which we believe was the result of lockdown. Both in terms of dealing with difficult circumstances and acknowledging issues that had perhaps occurred long ago, but which had not been dealt with before. Our students have come back to school with differing levels of engagement and wellbeing. The majority coped very well, are on track with their learning and will achieve the appropriate qualifications this year.”

It does seem that the huge focus on wellbeing in recent years enabled schools to respond quickly and pre-emptively with mental health support for students.

At Otago Girls’, for example, teachers leaned into their existing mentorship programs and developed peer support networks with students to bolster wellbeing. Linda explained: “We used our pastoral and monitoring systems to support all aspects of student needs.

Understandably, there was a substantial uptick in career and guidance counselling requests Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

Whanau Teachers and mentors connected with students over lockdown so they had contact with pastoral staff as well as classroom teachers. Teacher aides used Zoom to follow class teaching and to remain connected with students and to support them with their learning. Students used Zoom to engage with each other after classes and to hold meetings (e.g. prefect meetings).

“The prefects also collaborated with our brother school Otago Boys, creating an Instagram campaign to keep morale up within the student body, providing fun activities and accounts.“

EDUCATION

“Because of the short length of time our Year 9s had been in the school prior to lockdown we felt that they had not had the opportunity to make the lasting connections we would have hoped so we returned to our peer support programme for the first few weeks to support that reconnection.”

All-in-all, the problems that our school leavers face are not entirely new, these trends have been creeping along for decades; coronavirus has simply intensified them enough for more people to take notice. Workforce casualisation, the privitisation of vocational pathways and stagnancy of tertiary funding, the lack of job progression, and increasing student debt are all symptoms of wider structural inequalities and problems our society needs to solve. If generation COVID wants to carve out opportunities equitable to previous generations, they will need to innovate any sector they enter.

A better question now is, how can schools prepare them to do that?

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PRINCIPAL SPEAKS

Caring for the earth

and connecting to nature In this column, I want to explore the difficulties and joys of moving towards a more sustainable and regenerated world through the way we educate our children. I will also suggest some useful models and ways of thinking.

Caring for the earth and connecting to nature I will start where Aldo Leopold started in his most famous essay, The Land Ethic. When Odysseus came home after ten

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Stuart MacAlpine, Principal, Green School

years spent at the Trojan War in Homer’s Odyssey, he instructed his son to kill all the slave girls who had been flirting with the suitors who had been pursuing his wife. It was perceived as ‘okay’

to do that because these people were perceived as ‘things’ and getting rid of them was viewed

by Odysseus as no different to cleaning the house - out they go!

wide range of animals acquired rights and ethics relating to their treatment, as humans began to see themselves as connected to them.

The point Aldo Leopold makes is that, back then, we did not include all other people as a part of our sense of identity or moral sphere.

Throwing out plastic rubbish, sweeping the floor, killing a slave, who cares? Leopold points out that over time, our moral sphere has expanded so that now we are deeply upset to see another human suffer. Slowly, animals also came to be included in the moral sphere; initially, just mammals that look and feel a bit like us (perhaps dogs or horses) then, slowly a

Leopold’s point is that, eventually, we will feel connected to the earth and the land in just such a way. Despite the damage we are doing to the planet, there is no doubt that this is beginning to happen - just look at the concern for our oceans in relation to plastic - better late than never.

EDUCATION

As a Green School, we seek to be part of that change in our moral sphere and sense of connection to nature - to support, cheerlead and innovate where we can.

Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

tools like LOOPY are very useful to create simple interactive models of scenarios.

In New Zealand, there is an additional richness in that many of these ‘new’ attitudes to the earth are in fact very old on this land. It is more about regenerating what has been lost than finding ‘new’ ways of being. Tāwhirimātea, Tāne Mahuta, Papatūānuku, Ranginui And Tangaroa have been spiritual connections to the natural world since people first arrived in Aotearoa. We have much to learn from them.

3. Develop models for things that matter.

If you care about something, you should have a model for it that you help learners use in different contexts. There are great models of environmental stewardship in the quite academic work of authors like Aldo Leopold or Kahn’s work such as The Human Relationship with Nature. And it is also important to develop your thinking as a community about what matters to you, and what are the stages of developing those attitudes or understandings.

Hypocrisy Many people point out that Lincoln, who knew that slavery was morally wrong and was a champion of its abolition, could be called a hypocrite as he directly and indirectly benefited from it, and his understanding of what to do about it evolved over time.

Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

Too often ‘doing good’ is substituted for learning about how systems work and finding leverage points to make change.

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If we believe that regeneration is also about human flourishing, use a flourishing scale to regularly sample the sense of wellbeing in your community. These are easily accessed and provide really useful data over time about how your community is doing.

5. Use Hart’s Ladder to support learners becoming more selfdirected.

It is not just about teachers ‘doing’, it’s about giving your students the confidence and skills to be autonomous and self-directed.

Hart’s Ladder of Participation is a useful tool to calibrate this. Use it with your learners to see how things are going.

Youth initiated shared decisions with adults: Youth-led activities, in which decision making is shared between youths and adults working as equal partners.

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Youth initiated and directed: Youth-led activities with little input from adults.

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Adult initiated shared decisions with youth: Adult-led activities, in which decision making is shared with youth.

RU

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Consulted and informed: Adult-led activities, in which youth are consulted and informed about how their input will be used and the outcomes of adult decisions.

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Assigned, but informed: Adult-led activities, in which youth understand purpose, decision-making process, and have a role.

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RU

Tokenism: Adult-led activities, in which youth may be consulted with minimal opportunities for feedback.

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So, are we all hopelessly mired in an imperfect world? Certainly.

Should that stop us doing everything we can to try to help give birth (or rebirth) to a world in which people feel that nature is

Most important global and environmental issues nowadays are about systems’ behaviour.

Learners need to be taught the tools of systems thinking, which are still very new. Books like The Systems Thinker Playbook, or Donatella Meadows’ Thinking in Systems are excellent. Online

1. Focus on learning while doing, not just doing.

RU

Also, as much as it is about living your values now in your operations as a school (and we try our best), the most important thing is that we are trying to give our learners what they will need to make change now and in the future - it is much more about the kind of learning we can do as a community to make change.

2. Learn how to use systems thinking.

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We are trying to help our learners be part of making a new normal, in which we are connected to nature, see it as part of our identity and want to try to make the world more just. It does not mean we think we have got it all sorted. We have not. But we want to be part of making that future.

There are several things that really help any school wishing to embrace environmental stewardship.

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Schools that want to be part of helping form the new world are still stuck in the old world, which we are trying to learn to emerge from. That is the point.

What helps?– Here are five tips

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Given we live in a very imperfect world, you can pretty much guarantee that we are not perfect as a school community. But that was never the point.

‘Doing composting’ is not the same as understanding the way a circular economy or an ecosystem keep resources in circulation without loss. Having explicit learning focused on conceptual understanding should always accompany ‘action’.

an extension of their own identity, and that stewardship of the natural world is profoundly important as a goal in itself? Certainly not.

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So, any community wanting to move to a renewed connection to the natural world, however hard they try, immediately faces some charge of hypocrisy: ‘Some people drive cars to school burning fossil fuels! Is every item on your campus perfectly part of a circular economy? Not every plant on your campus is native! I call hypocrisy!’

4. Track flourishing and wellbeing.

Decoration: Adult-led activities, in which youth understand purpose, but have no input in how they are planned.

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Manipulation: Adult-led activities, in which youth do as directed without understanding of the purpose for the activities.

Adapted from Hart, R. (1992). Children’s Participation from Tokenism to Citizenship. Florence: UNICEF Innoventi Research Centre, as cited in www.freechild.org/ladder.htm

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By Mandy Clarke, Industry Reporter

The coronavirus pandemic: it disrupted routines, enforced social isolation, created a culture of loneliness, and increased anxiety, for many people.

Multiple studies have shown that rates of anxiety and depression among the general population have skyrocketed since the pandemic began.

These intense anxieties we feel in the middle of all this disruption might enable us to better empathise with some of the feelings children and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) manage as part of their day-to-day. Recently, I complained to a friend who has ASD about the stress of lockdown and my frustration at having to continually shift my work schedule to meet COVID-19 restrictions. She shot back: “Welcome to my world!”

worked very closely with children who had dyslexia, dyspraxia, and sensory processing disorders. For several years, I specialised in ASD and behaviour management and remember how a sudden change in routine would dramatically escalate anxiety and behaviour. The build up to birthdays, Christmases, and school holidays were particularly tricky periods of time that had to be pre-planned in detail; if we had experienced a sudden pandemic lockdown then, a smooth transition from carer to teacher would have been virtually impossible.

In those pre-tech years, ‘best practice’ for educational consistency and communication

was limited to an entry in a home/ school message book, the odd emergency phone call, and a yearly multi-disciplinary meeting.

Technology has vastly improved communication between teachers and parents today! With this professional background in mind, I wondered how the COVID-enforced routine disruption would challenge students with a disabilities and prove stressful for parents and carers.

Dr Stephen Shore, professor and author of The Astonishing Spectrum wrote in a recent piece for Psychology Today NZ: “No one is immune to the disruptions that the coronavirus pandemic is forcing

This got me thinking about how different the experience of remote or online learning during lockdown must have been for students with ASD and other learning needs.

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Photo by Annie Spratt, Unsplash

For context: I originally trained as a registered nurse, specialising in sensory processing disorders and learning disabilities. For almost two decades I worked in education, community health, and hospitals around the UK, spending time with children and adults who had many different needs. I EDUCATION

upon daily life. But for people on the autism spectrum, the loss of familiar routines is especially damaging, often leading to deep anxiety that can be difficult to surmount.”

However, upon further research, I learned that some students with special needs were thriving in lockdown.

After the initial change in routine, some parents reported seeing their child blossom in the new homeschool environment, no longer having to deal with the challenges of social interaction and assisted by a variety of digital teaching aids. In fact, for many students, it has been the return to school post-lockdown restrictions that has caused more problems.

On one ASD Facebook forum, a mother explained that remote learning had suited her Year 12 daughter ideally and she had since noticed a significant drop in engagement now that regular attendance has resumed. I heard from three parents who likewise expressed concern about their child returning to school because they had found lockdown so beneficial.

One parent described the return to school “very stressful” and another mother of a Year 8 boy with ADHD told me she was now considering making the permanent transition to remote learning based on her son’s improvement over lockdown.

Anecdotally, at least, it seems that some children have found their learning style suits isolation and the return to ‘normality’ might now be their biggest source of anxiety.

Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

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Why some learners thrived IN lockdown

For schools, remote learning has been a challenge and an experiment, and teachers should consult with their students who have ASD and other learning differences, along with their parents, to find out what they have found works (or not) for them. Perhaps bringing elements of their remote learning routine into the classroom can help with the transition.

Technology has transformed special needs education and enhanced communication tools to boost student engagement in classroom settings. The use of computers, tablets, an array of software, teaching and communication aids, games, live content, and channels like YouTube have changed the experience for many learners, and evidence tells us that most children with different learning needs, especially those with ASD, dyslexia and communication differences benefit greatly from the level of agency they can achieve with these tools.

I recently read a paper published in 2019, called ‘The Impact of Technology on People with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Literature Review’, which found: “People with autism spectrum

specialist in speech recognition software from school supplier Nuance Communications, to find out how this particular technology works for students with dyslexia and other learning needs. He said: “Technology is getting more accurate at ‘speaker independent’ recognition so that anyone who talks can have their speech converted to text. However, the accuracy rates are limited to around 90 percent, meaning that accuracy is not high enough for classroom interactions.”

Industry viewpoint: speech recognition specialist Derek Austin on accessibility For schools looking to upgrade assistive technology in classrooms, staff should consider expanding accessibility resources to all students. Accessibility options may benefit a wider group than the initial target group. For example, speech recognition is a general facility that can improve productivity disorder (ASD) tend to enjoy themselves and be engaged when interacting with computers, as these interactions occur in a safe and trustworthy environment.”

The paper reviewed 94 studies that show how technology used in education helps people with ASD to develop a variety of skills.

“Several studies showed that most people with autism show a natural affinity for technology and a good disposition for using technology and learning through the use of computers. This is because the environment and context that these experiences provide are predictable and structured, which

for the whole student body, as well as those with expressive or physical challenges. All students should learn to use modern technology like speech recognition across the curriculum, to streamline their effectiveness and time management, especially in the lead up to examinations. helps people with ASD to maintain their routines and repetitive behaviors without affecting their comfort.” As technology continues to advance, there are an increasing number of tools at our educational disposal, including from sensors and augmented reality, to geolocation, video games and Kinect.

As we take stock and try to learn from our national remote learning experiment, it’s a valuable time to consider how we might rethink our teaching strategies to cater more explicitly to students with different learning needs by exploring the wide range of teaching tools and aids now available. I spoke with a

However: “Speech recognition can be used to assist students with dyslexia or dyspraxic symptoms, and more generally. Students can talk, instead of write or type, and this can improve the quality and length of responses by an order of magnitude.

There’s a video on YouTube with two Brisbane speech therapists, called ‘Dare to Speak’, which provides a background on how to use this type of technology. Students with dyslexia and related challenges can benefit from speech recognition software. While younger students may have difficulty using software, introducing speech recognition as a general skill has benefits as students get older and the writing required increases.”

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Dragon software is an assistive technology for people with blindness/low vision, dyslexia, dyspraxia, mobility or dexterity impediments and people with a variety of physical disabilities.

Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

EDUCATION

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opportunities for transformation from turmoil Resetting hearts & minds:

During the recent lockdown of Aotearoa under Covid-19 restrictions, I was able to consider the relevance of my recent doctoral research in relation to the extreme circumstances we found ourselves in.

The word ‘unprecedented’ has been liberally applied to our current socio-political situation.

Yet I can think of several precedents: my grandparents, for example, lived through two world wars and The Great Depression.

I think of my great-grandmother, who lost 10 of her children to the 1918-19 Spanish Flu epidemic, a precedent that devastated many Māori communities at rates up to eight times greater than Pākeha communities.

These precedents are in our recent past, but according to popular (media) narratives appear to have been overlooked, like much of the history of our country.

We have lived through devestation and loss caused by illness and hate, we have proven to be tough, and this time around, we have also proven that we can unite.

While we face uncertainty, fear and anxiety, what we have also been presented with is opportunity. COVID-19 has laid at our feet an opportunity to revise, re-set, and re-imagine how we do things socially and politically, which is essentially at the heart of my research.

A key aspect of it involved developing understanding of the intricacies of policies and strategies targeting Māori educational achievement. A document analysis of Tātaiako: Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Māori students (see minedu.govt.nz/tataiako for the

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Potential for change is heavily reliant on educators looking inward

Dr Maia Hetaraka booklet) forms one part of the research.

My analysis concludes that this particular strategy collapses social relationships, educational relationships and achievement, and seems to assume that better relationships between teachers and Māori students will deliver education success.

The document leaves much open to interpretation by education professionals with varying degrees of expertise and knowledge of, and in, te ao Māori. Tātaiako, and the Māori education strategy (Ka Hikitia) fail to address vital issues faced by Māori historically and currently, socio-politically, and in education. (Find the full analysis online in MAI: A New Zealand Journal of Indigenous Scholarship.)

The second part of my research contains in depth analyses of pūkōrero (conversations) from kaumātua, who utilise ancient indigenous knowledge to find solutions to contemporary problems. Their narratives and related analyses contain powerful messages for the transformation of education, for all students.

These messages perceive Māori educational achievement in ways that differ from the dictates of the Ministry of Education, but that resonate with the recent surge throughout the country to re-set the way we do things.

A key finding was that for education to truly change lives, kaumātua argued we must begin to see changes in hearts and minds of individuals within education.

However, they also contended that it is essential that hearts and minds of systems in New Zealand must also change, including the education system itself. The kaumātua emphatically argued that injustices faced by Māori, our ability to function and participate fully and positively was undoubtedly linked to broken socio-political systems that require urgent transformation. According to my research, potential for change is heavily reliant on educators looking inward, instead of constantly looking at their students, which, with the heavy focus on relationship building has become somewhat of a preoccupation for those focusing on Māori education achievement.

My research does not dispute the importance of relationships throughout all levels of education; rather it adds to this field.

Kaumātua messages require re-imagining education and reviewing current Tātaiako expectations of educators. This includes: •

•

EDUCATION

Knowing yourself as cultural and spiritual beings; love yourself and love your role as an educator.

Know that there are differences in students.

Differences are valuable.

Know that it is highly likely

that you are different from your students. Look for differences.

•

You are not expected to be an expert on Māori culture.

Every community has experts with the capacity to support educators; find them, respect them, learn from them, and protect your relationships with them.

•

Learn the (real) history of New Zealand, challenge dominant narratives that seek to reinforce racism in education, understand the role education has played in colonisation.

•

Love your students.

These trying and uncertain times have caused many of us to express frustration with the ‘norm’ and feel a strong desire to rejuvenate the way we do things.

This pandemic has caused upheaval, but it has also given us a gift if we are brave enough to take it. Fortunately, we have wisdom from the past that can powerfully inform our future as we ride out this trial.

Importantly, I believe our future would be served by looking to examples from our past that remind us that from turmoil comes transformation.

Dr Maia Hetaraka is an education lecturer in Te Puna Wananga, based at the Faculty of Education and Social Work’s Tai Tokerau campus at the University of Auckland.

Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

Turning up the volume on future-forward libraries

By Lucinda Dean, Industry Reporter

Shhh! No talking in the library.

Drab, institutional and unnaturally quiet, my high school library circa 1980s was a refuge for nerds. The only time I set foot into the school library was on compulsory class excursions. The school librarian looked as antiquated as the musty books lining the rows of tightly packed, towering bookshelves.

‘Research’ was conducted via catalogue cards contained in sets of pull-out wooden drawers.

Image courtesy of Distinction Furniture

Lexicon like ‘makerspace’, ‘learning hub’, ‘computer labs’, did not exist in my day. Fortunately, the ‘old school’ library is a far cry from today’s bright, lively, multi-purpose spaces. Indeed, today’s school library is a welcoming place where research, socialisation, collaboration, and

play coexist in a space respectfully designed to accommodate each of these learning goals.

Increasingly, libraries are technology hubs, so make sure your wifi network is robust enough to handle students’ digital needs. Not surprisingly, 50 percent of initial research is done by phone, while 25 percent is conducted by tablet, so libraries need to make it easy for students to stay powered up.

Having a ‘makerspace’ (a collaborative zone used for creating, learning, exploring and sharing) within the school library is right on-trend. However, future-forward libraries could also be designed to support media labs, music and video production studios, applicationfocused computer labs for photoshopping or website design, video conferencing and the like.

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ADMINISTRATION

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Exciting design trends: Industry viewpoint Oren Ellery is the managing director at Educated Furniture, and he spoke with us about some of the latest innovations in school library design.

He said: “Furniture plays a big part in creating an inviting school learning environment. Creating different ‘zones’ in areas adds real interest to the space and allows for different types of learning in different areas. Relaxed areas with soft furnishings such as beanbags for quiet reading, individual study carrells with headphones for study and large tables with seating for working on projects as a team.

“Interesting seating can definitely help encourage students. Floor seating such as beanbags and fritters are a big part of library fit outs these days. Some schools have found that implementing staging to create tiered seating levels is popular with students and creating an area that excites them is a great way to encourage their learning.

Image courtesy of Distinction Furniture

When planning your library makeover, let design, function, furniture and technology be your guiding principles – and always consult the experts.

Research conducted by Bostonbased architecture and design firm CBT reveals the success of future-forward libraries is underpinned by the availability of supporting technology and furniture. While the sample was based on US college students, its learnings could be extrapolated

to the NZ school environment.

The research found students preferred to situate themselves in seating that provides impromptu collaboration, movement and exchange, with 40 percent of respondents expressing a preference for high-top tables over traditional carrels. They also demanded spaces to huddle… 40 percent of students surveyed expressed a strong need for individual conference rooms that are acoustically separate from the rest of the

library environment. Finally, an overwhelming 40 percent said they enjoyed the benefits of having an exhibit space inside the library – areas where not only they can be inspired, but also showcase their ideas and thereby foster cultural exchange. School News spoke to a couple of industry experts to find out how to transform your library into a learning hub that is both contemporary and relevant for all users.

Image courtesy of Educated Furniture

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“Acoustic tiles are a great way to reduce noise levels in any space.

There is also an option to use innovative screens to segment off areas and acoustic material can be fitted to them to help reduce noise. Curved movable shelving units can also be used to create different areas and quiet reading nooks to help with student concentration while keeping other areas of the library open.”

Distinction Furniture representative Anna Croft agreed that school libraries are no longer just libraries, pinpointing new trends and popular features for future-focused schools.

Image courtesy of Distinction Furniture

ADMINISTRATION

Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

She said: “Furniture is the space creator. Smart libraries use soft furniture alongside table and chair settings that can comfortably fit large student groups as well as smaller one-on-one arrangements.

Stand-alone high tables and ottomans create different study and socialising configurations too. Soft seating can help with a variety of student requirements for both comfort and quiet.

Bean bags are okay, but they are noisy and take up a lot of room when sat unused.

“Generally, the more comfortable a student is, the more likely they will sit and focus on their work rather than stress about discomfort. Soft seating comes in many different configurations now and booths are increasingly popular options for quiet study that also work well for staff meetings.

“Noise reduction is very important and can be achieved by lining the walls with soft board, carpeted floors rather than hard surfaces, and lots of soft furnishings to soak up sound. Colour is also increasingly important as

Image courtesy of Educated Furniture

libraries need to be warm and inviting as well as practical and hardwearing, so commercial grade fabrics are always a must.

“I have seen many changes follow the dawn of modern learning environments, and one thing that stands out now is

schools really considering what works for students. I see school libraries lean towards more practical furniture with larger tables, rather than a cluster of smaller tables, and quieter colours are coming through in tables; colour is being used on seating rather than tabletops.

“Schools are now more considerate of lighting, sound and temperature and these should be factored into any new modern learning design, but I predict the ‘next big thing’ will be bringing ‘maker spaces’ into the library!”

built for learning Educated Furniture is proudly New Zealand owned and operated.

We design, build and source quality furniture solutions for education providers so that teachers and students can get more out of their day.

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Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

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ADMINISTRATION

Connect with us

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Digital is the ‘new-school’

way to communicate

By Lucinda Dean, Industry Reporter

cable, wifi or over a point-to-point wifi or radio link. Where the sign is too remote to communicate over a LAN connection, or where a large number of signs need to be controlled from a central location, cellular modems can be used through one of the public cellular networks (WAN).

Let’s face it, we live in a digital world!

Everyday, our lives are touched by digital technology and the school environment is no exception. It is ever-present and pervasive, and its impact is evident in everything from the way we do business to how we communicate; the way we shop; how we transact with banks and government institutions, the list goes on…

Schools: is it time to invest in digital signage technology?

There are certainly benefits: digitising school signage produces fast, relevant and secure communication across all stakeholders, including students, teachers, parents and the broader community. Outdoor screens quickly deliver vital information in real time, spurring onlookers to action: ‘Hall flooded, meet in library’; or ‘Severe thunderstorms, wet weather pick-up’. Digital signs can broadcast school traffic updates and fundraising reminders to streamline the school run.

‘Screen time’ positives From event reminders, exam countdowns, sports scores, timetable changes, and general housekeeping items to shoutouts, birthday messages and positive affirmations, digital signage can be used to foster a positive culture of engagement within the school community.

Outdoors, it can also be used

It’s got the look

Image courtesy of FMC TV

to connect with the broader community about school initiatives and activities. Messaging such as ‘Welcome friends from Argentina’; or ‘Enrol for 2021 now’, is not just informative, but good public relations. Schools are increasingly using outdoor digital signage as a branding exercise to sell themselves to their local community.

That (LED) lightbulb moment Most LED signage 20 years’ ago was limited to indoor displays with one-or-two line messaging, as commonly seen at train stations or in hospital. And even as outdoor LED signage evolved, it was largely restricted to scrolling text displays with low resolution and only very limited graphical capabilities.

It is only in recent years, with the introduction of smaller and

brighter LEDs, that LED signs have been able to also display high definition graphics.

Industry insight: Craig Meldrum, managing director, WiPath Communications, shared with School News his top tips for selecting the right digital signage.

LED signage, and outdoor LED signage in particular, is a long-term investment as the installation should provide good service for 10-15 years or more if you work with a quality supplier.

Sold on technology In the past, you had to go out to the sign and either plug in a remote control device or point something that looked like a TV remote at it to change the text on the sign. These days, communications are generally via a computer network. Most signs are controlled by an IP data link and this can be hard-wired

A digital sign is often a significant part of the street identification for a school, so the installation needs to look good. The structure in which the digital sign is mounted is a significant part of the overall cost.

Even if only used for informational purposes, your sign does not have to be mounted on a boring, industrial-grade galvanised steel structure.

Weighing up price against ongoing costs Price should be the least important factor when considering a significant capital value purchase like an outdoor LED sign. The few extra dollars spent upfront will be more than recovered in lower long-term maintenance and service costs.

Industry insight: Glenn Tong, director, FMC TV, shared with School News his thoughts about new directions in digital signage.

We are now seeing increased interest in using LED screens in school halls and gyms as opposed to projectors. The technology offers increased visibility in any light conditions.

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TECHNOLOGY

Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

Image courtesy of Wipath Communications

You can display any device in the correct resolution with a plug and play video processor.

The screens do not require replacement bulbs like projectors and have a very long lifecycle. Content displayed is clearer and brighter.

The screens are modular and can be made in any size to suit different size locations.

Making the right connections Content management software has been simplified so any content can be dragged and dropped to display easily on a school network.

The use of QR codes allows students to connect to the screens with their phones and be directed to relevant information and events.

Image courtesy of Wipath Communications

Fit-for-purpose LED screens are more energy efficient and with the use of software can be multifunctional as an assembly screen, scoreboard, or display of any other content a school wants to showcase.

The simple video processors make images and content fit and display correctly on the screen with no IT expertise required.

Mounting can be done in multiple ways to suit any location.

Industry insight: Chantal Catlin, owner Proto Electronics, shared her opinion with School News on recent trends in digital signage.

Large TV-type screens with a wifi interface enable live displays of names, such as head boy/ girl, sports captains, etc., while simultaneously displaying other

information like daily notices and important messages. This is achieved by either scrolling or flicking between slides.

Creative messaging is easy peasy Messaging is no longer just boring text; images, logos and video clips can be uploaded with fully configurable display timing, size, display effects, time of day/date screenings, etc. What is also exciting is some newer signs (with wifi controllers) can update messages via a smart phone or computer app from up to 15m away.

Sizing it all up For smaller signs, which are meant to be viewed up close, you may want to consider a higher

Image courtesy of Proto Electronics

resolution, for example, a P5 or P6 (which means pixels are 5mm or 6mm apart, respectively). The higher the number of pixels on the sign, the more visible and easier to read it is. A lower resolution P10 sign is cheaper than a P5 or P6.

If the sign is to be viewed from 30+ metres the P10 display quality is fine. For viewing distances of 20m or less a P5 or P6 display would be a better investment.

If the sign is visible from both sides, a double-sided sign may be a better option. Newer wifi controller systems make operation, uploading, and editing much easier because the LED sign no longer needs to be connected to a PC with an ethernet cable. Digital signs, however, need access to power, so positioning should always take this into account.

Image courtesy of Proto Electronics

www.fmctv.co.nz | 0800 362 488 Pre-approved 0% interest leasing on digital displays LED hall screens, interactive whiteboards and digital signage

Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

TECHNOLOGY

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Interactive education: One size no longer fits all

By Mandy Clarke, Industry Reporter

The basis of formal education historically started and ended with a bell and a teacher stood at a blackboard asking questions and leading discussions.

Modern classrooms have moved far beyond this now: the introduction of interactive technology to the classroom unleashed the power of multimedia and forced educators to rethink the status quo.

In the last 10 years, teachers have had to shape-shift from uniform teaching to embracing a variety of newfangled learning environments and immersive classroom technologies. Teachers are now seen as facilitators and ongoing learners. Interactive technology has transformed classrooms and blurred boundaries between teachers and learners. Not too long ago, a TV on wheels plonked at the head of a whole-school assembly was considered a normal occurrence!

Today, it would be strange to walk into a school that didn’t have interactive projectors, whiteboards, and a plethora of student-friendly devices to boot.

In 2020, we witnessed an unprecedented shift forward towards interactive technology; not just because of COVID. Anthony Salcito, Vice-President of Education at Microsoft, says schools are actively morphing into “learning hubs”. He said recently, at global education conference Bett 2020: “When you think about the three big investments that schools make, they’re constantly thinking about what’s happening with instruction in the classroom, what’s happening with the operations of their school, and also learning beyond the classroom.”

“Over the past few decades, the focus has been heavily weighted on the classroom experience. I think we will see a shift where

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Image courtesy of Epson New Zealand

Teachers are now seen as facilitators and ongoing learners schools will create a foundation of inclusive, flexible, datadriven buildings and spaces that will enable students to learn beyond those walls.”

Yes, the surprise pandemic shines a light on how technology has and will transform teaching and learning, but interactive technologies will continue to thrive, even after the viral threat has vanished. Lockdown, school closures and the possibility of extended restrictions in the future force us to consider how vital connectivity, digital curriculum and interactive technology are…

Schools must be prepared to deliver education online for students at home or away from a typical classroom environment.

When students are in school, educators must consider ways to promote social distancing within a typically crowed educational environment. Interactive teaching technologies offer solutions either

way. When it comes to social distancing interactive projectors offer a great solution, because the screen can be accessible to everyone in most large learning spaces even when students have to social distance, and the beauty of using an interactive projector is that it can still be inclusive, collaborative, and memorable.

Industry Insider Projectors with widescreen resolution, advanced network connectivity and wireless performance, make it easier to share larger-than-life lessons, tech expert Graeme Durham from Epson, NZ explains: “The key benefit of using interactive projectors is engagement. It is no longer enough for teachers to ‘chalk and talk’ while students listen.

An interactive projector allows teachers and students to share content and work on

TECHNOLOGY

lessons collaboratively, and sharing promotes discussion and engagement.

“Teachers can present lessons in an interactive and engaging manner using modern computing and mobile devices including PC, Mac, Chromebook, iOS/ Android and modern software tools like Microsoft inking tools and information can also be sourced by students and teachers using various teaching websites, resources like YouTube, etc.”

“New interactive projector technologies are advancing all the time. There are laser light source projectors with on board interactivity and wireless capability. Quieter, smaller form factor, capable of both pen and finger touch, ultra-short throw means virtually no shadowing when presenting. Keep in mind that projected images are typically more cost effective, less reflective, and most importantly larger than a typical flat panel TV. This means all the class can read detailed information rather than just those in the front few rows they are easy to use in the classroom by a teacher but capable of being managed remotely by an IT manager if required.”

Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

St Peter’s Cambridge embraces interactive classroom tech

By Mandy Clarke, Industry Reporter

use with the Epson technology was imperative. The issue was overcome with connectivity to the wall mounted controller and with ongoing training.

An additional modification was required in the form of a white wall for the projection surface, enabling the use of pens and fingers. The school’s maintenance team installed a smooth board surface, which improved the accuracy and use.

An independent, coeducational school with a roll of 1150 students, St Peter’s Cambridge has developed a 10-year plan to centre teaching and learning technology.

In 2019, budget was allocated to undertake a pilot of interactive technology in a Year 7 classroom and a mathematics classroom.

If successful, this project would then frame up a significant budget spend in the 2020/21 financial year.

The school knew the magnitude of the spend and change required, so a significant amount of research and trialling was undertaken before committing further.

The pilot principles and design were based on: The Association for Audio-visual & Education Technology Management (AETA) experience from Waikato University’s award-winning AV implementation. Knowledge gained from the ICT Management and Leadership Conference/ School tour and the results of pilot testing and teacher feedback.

Understanding that each faculty has different technological needs, St Peter’s faculty was clear about its aim to provide a platform that improves the learning experience of all students. The pilot included testing televisions, projectors and screen sharing hardware and software over two school terms. As a result of the

Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

pilot period, the school selected the Epson interactive projector as its preferred teaching tool, providing the following reasons:

3.

•

High lumens (brightness)

•

Large projection area (100-inch max)

•

Interaction for students, e.g. student can project their work

The school also noted that this was a recommended choice at the ICT Management and Leadership Conference.

•

Enabled technology integration for learning in the classroom, e.g. touch-based interactivity, annotation, whiteboard, projection with grids and lines, collaborative sharing interactive education software features

The school also found the quality projection hardware and software had: 1.

Security of access to projecting using keyword

2.

Low ongoing maintenance with no bulbs to replace (the projectors use laser interactive technology and do not require bulbs)

A 13-year life span compared to our current projectors that have a six to sevenyear life expectancy

“We engaged our trusted supply partner Supply NZ to support us in the procurement of these projectors. Supply NZ went out of their way to ensure a favourable arrangement for us and were very professional and easy to deal with during the project.”

In terms of a teaching tool for St Peter’s students, the new projectors have seen instant results. Student participation and engagement has increased to the point where some teachers are basing their entire lesson plan on the interactive technology. The biggest difficulty appears to be managing the student’s enthusiasm - a good problem to have.

At the end of 2019, installation commenced on the first twenty projectors, twenty-one in 2020 and the balance will be replaced in 2021. Over 30 Epson projectors were installed as part of this project, the models mainly used were EB-1485UI x 20 and EB-710UI x 14.

There is a new sense of empowerment. In Digitech, students are able to share work and demonstrate new skills. Year 7 teacher, Duncan Baird said: “It is easy to monitor the student’s activity, as with one switch I can shift their screen view to the main projector. I have been teaching for 20 years, and have been a lead teacher in ICT across all the schools that I have taught in. I am yet to use a technology tool that has had such a dramatic impact on teaching and learning.”

Some staff utilise DVDs as part of their classroom teaching, so the need to integrate DVD-

For information on how Epson can assist your school visit https:// www.epson.co.nz/sizematters.

TECHNOLOGY

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Fostering self-confidence in the maths classroom Image courtesy of Mangahigh

By Rosie Clarke, Editor

Mathematics is critical not just as a steppingstone along various STEM pathways but as part of a wellrounded education and an important rung on the financial literacy ladder.

Still, research has shown that self-confidence in maths degrades with age, particularly for girls and Māori learners. To reverse this trend, it is vital for schools to assess their maths pedagogy and the culture they create in the classroom, choosing maths programs that prioritise learner agency and build confidence regardless of ability level.

A 2019 New Zealand study published in the Frontiers in Psychology journal tackled the issue of mathematics ‘self-concept’, or self-perception, among students.

The three-year longitudinal study found that girls tend to have a consistently lower self-concept

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in maths than boys, irrespective of ability, and that while Māori, Asian, and Other students’ initial mathematics self-concept was higher than that of New Zealand European and Pacific Islanders’ at the beginning of the study, Māori students’ self-concept in maths significantly declined over three years. Researchers Penelope Watson, Christine Rubie-Davies, and Kane Meissel discussed possible reasons for this, noting that social comparison and teacher expectations hold a lot of influence.

They established that learner agency can help mitigate these trends in the classroom, and positive outcomes are associated with pedagogy that prioritises collaboration over competition in the classroom; self-chosen activities, buddy systems, and mixed ability groups help discourage social comparison, where students would compare themselves to their peers.

Encouraging a supportive classroom environment is key to boosting a positive self-image in maths but the study also

highlighted value in teachers having high expectations for all students, rather than reinforcing stereotypes about mathematics potential for girls or students from diverse cultural backgrounds.

An earlier University of Queensland study, Student (Dis)engagement in Mathematics, from researchers Jill Fielding-Wells and Katie Makar collected survey data from primaryaged students (ages 8-12, n = 209) to compare those with experience in inquiry-based learning and those without. In their published findings, they noticed: “Engagement scores of students involved in inquiry indicated markedly higher interest, increased attentiveness and decreased frustration; suggesting the potential for inquiry to halt or reverse the pattern of declining interest among students.”

Developing a whole-school approach to maths education that supports real-world learning and integrates with culturally responsive pedagogy could be central to boosting maths engagement among students.

TEACHING RESOURCES

A closer look: What do maths programme specialists suggest?

Caxton Educational curriculum facilitator Joel Bradley discusses the recipe for effective maths pedagogy with School News…

When selecting maths programmes, teachers and other stakeholders must be confident in the programme itself. A programme should offer flexibility for both teachers and students as it must adapt to various teaching styles; supporting less experienced teachers while offering the freedom to expand, adjust, and modify for more experienced teachers. A robust programme for students has real-world activities, rich tasks with lots of opportunities for discussion and multi-level groupings, skills practice, both formal and informal assessments, and fun and engaging games to roundout all approaches to learning.

In terms of progress tracking, many schools allow students to selfassess and assume agency of their learning.

26 Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

Teaching culture to a learning culture For over a decade, education has been undergoing a digital transformation.

COVID-19 has brought upon us all a ‘new normal’ - both in our personal and professional life.

During this time, educators have been inspired (and fast tracked) to evaluate real change - what has worked, what needs improvement, and what’s available out there.

The biggest change is one where there is now a shift from a teaching culture, to one of learning. How does the digital transformation accommodate for this? How can we encourage student agency and support personalised learning?

Mangahigh is seeking to partner with schools across New Zealand to support the development of student agency.

All New Zealand schools can access the Mangahigh digital maths platform, mapped to the New Zealand curriculum. Our

activities comprise of adaptive learning quizzes and maths games, and are supported by data and metrics to monitor and support growth.

Who is Mangahigh?

The Mangahigh platform helps students commit to and build resilience in their learning as they develop a Growth Mindset Workflow to success. Students are highly engaged by the fun nature of the Mangahigh content as they discover deeper mathematical understanding with curriculum aligned quizzes and develop essential skills with challenging games. Whether they are mastering their times tables, calculating angles for the first time, learning algebra or solving quadratic equations, Mangahigh’s engaging content will help them master it and have fun while doing so.

How to preview Visit www.mangahigh.com/ games to play our activities for free.

For more information, contact olivia.piedrabuena@mangahigh.com

CONTACT TO PARTICIPATE email: olivia.piedrabuena@mangahigh.com Phone: (+61) 0434 288 851

THE MATHS LICENCE Mastering Times Table Skills free up working memory

Mangahigh.com is a modern digital maths learning platform, issuing Times Table and Mental Maths Mastery Licence to New Zealand students.

Teachers assign curriculum-based adaptive learning quiz activities and educational games then continuously monitor their students progress.

Students complete assigned activities while following a personalised learning pathway to grow their maths knowledge, as they think deeper and develop understanding and reasoning.

In 2020, students have the opportunity to earn their Times Table and Mental Maths Mastery Licence - skills that form the foundation to advance maths learning.

www.mangahigh.com Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

TEACHING RESOURCES

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learning qualities in students, such as resilience and a growth mindset.

Image courtesy of Caxton Educational

In this approach, students could use online check-ins that provide immediate feedback without teacher intervention. However, teachers require both formal and informal check-ins to adjust and differentiate their instruction. Some of the best formative assessments arise from informally listening to student discussions in warm-up activities. Summative assessments and bodies of evidence using engaging real-world activities, projects, and rich tasks can also fuel student success.

Students benefit from rich tasks with multi-level groupings and real-world contexts that allow students of all abilities and interests to engage and add to the conversation. Even the shy, non-maths-oriented students shine in this context. Games and gamification of learning have been shown to improve engagement. I am also enthusiastic about using

games in instruction because they can be incorporated at home with whanau. I am continually awed and intrigued by the answers that are forwarded by quieter, more introverted, less ‘maths-oriented’ tamariki.

For schools engaged in flipped learning, teachers are more like facilitators as students create and answer their own questions, participating more actively in their own knowledge construction. Using a maths programme to advance this approach would be easy if the programme offers enough variety and instructional access points that the teacher could provide teaching moments ad hoc.

Michelle Kueh is the maths success coach at Mangahigh. com, and she discussed how online learning can benefit mathematics comprehension.

Teachers should consider the way that online resources can transform their students’ learning, rather than a substitute or simply as an alternative way to deliver traditional static content. The SAMR Model can help teachers reflect on how to select technology that truly transform students’ learning.

Technology-focussed digital programme can encourage learners to consume contents that is both adaptive and personalised to suit their individual learning style. Adaptive contents progressively move students towards harder and more challenging questions. It also uses artificial intelligence to analyse and identify areas of weakness or strength shown by a student and proceeds to automatically provide required additional support or activities.

Digital programmes can also use technology to build positive

Image courtesy of IT Education Co NZ

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Teachers should aim to keep activities interesting, dynamic, and varied but not for the sake of variety; rather, for the strategic purpose of supporting the progression of learning from fluency to understanding, then reasoning. These are necessary foundations to problem-solving.

As an example: use games not as rewards, but as powerful tools to serve repetitive work that is cognitively necessary for developing automaticity and long-term memory. Gamification can aid learning progression by empowering students to track their own progress, closing the loop between mistake recognition and reflexive learning. In my experience, my experience, students engage when activities ‘feel’ accessible because they are not too difficult to begin with, and ‘nudge’ students outside their comfort zone with progressively more challenging questions.

I suggest teachers use technology for all its power and move beyond replacing marking to drive personalisation and automated progression. I also suggest they use data not only to show final results, but behaviour. Ask questions like, ‘how many times have my students attempted this?’, ‘are they using their mistakes to grow?’, ‘can they do more than what I have prescribed them?’

Janine Trembath from Symphony Math, The IT Education Co NZ had some useful suggestions for schools pursuing online learning.

The online learning widely used during COVID-19 lockdown can benefit in-class learning too. Start with timetabling adequate usage and encourage a good attitude towards learning mathematics.

Image courtesy of Mangahigh

TEACHING RESOURCES

Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

Employing growth mindset strategies in class that encourage students to embrace the effort that learning takes and help dismantle the misconception that few of us are good at math.

A key challenge is discerning which programs achieve depth of knowledge, not simply edutainment. Good programs will engage and motivate students while allowing them to experience the sense of achievement that follows that light bulb moment of understanding after a time of hard work or struggle, without overusing gimmicky reward games that may simply distract the student.

Learning in and of itself is fun!

The right program will help students to develop deep problem-solving skills and mathematical strategy. It should support students in expanding on the connections between new material and mastered material.

For example, teaching young students the idea of parts and wholes is critical, and of course the foundation of all basic math operations. Students need many opportunities to master this concept, and then apply it in many different contexts, such as

measurement and data analysis.

A program that includes not only multiple representations and manipulatives online but also supporting printable materials will provide the learner with the most opportunity to address specific areas of need for skills transference.

A good program will meet the varied needs of all students in the class. Students need to be able to work at their own pace. Look for programs where with instruction is scaffolded, based on student responses, providing every learner with a unique path to mastery and freeing teacher time to focus on specific areas of need. Usage data should provide teachers with insights into students’ strengths and weaknesses that help guide decision-making and instruction planning.

References Watson, Penelope, et al. “Mathematics Self-Concept in New Zealand Elementary School Students: Evaluating Age-Related Decline”.

Frontiers in Psychology, 2019.

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02307.

Fielding-Wells, Jill & Makar, Katie.

“Student (Dis)engagement in Mathematics”. Conference Paper, 2008.

Curious about Caxton Educational CaxEd publishes the popular NZ Curriculum Mathematics – Stages numeracy series and the award-winning NZ Curriculum Mathematics – Connecting All Strands series, which weaves all the NZ Curriculum strands into one Student Text per year (Years 3-8) establishing a solid backbone for your maths programme.

CaxEd offers Online Teacher Support via their website to complement the Connecting All Strands texts.

Printable masters, interactive games, teaching strategies, and Extra Tasks for every chapter add more excellent activities for extension or extra practice to the highquality tasks in the books. Schools that Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

Symphony Math checkpoints visually model understanding

Symphony Math® is a webenabled program with a visual and highly intuitive interface that helps students understand math at a conceptual level.

Instead of being overwhelmed by numbers, students move at their own speed and learn how math works, not simply rote learn answers.

Knowledge transfer is further enhanced through use of handwritten ‘Checkpoints’ that provide an opportunity to ‘pause the action’ after each online lesson and confirm mastery of important math skills

that are critical for success.

‘Checkpoints’ prompt students to draw newly mastered skills on paper, using mastered skills in a different context and promoting teacher student discussion.

For example, in Stage 1, students’ complete tasks involving use of numbers as concrete objects, such as dot cards and number bars, and points along a number line.

Students may also receive other prompts to create visual models when they show signs of struggle with a particular concept.

Learn more at www.itecnz.co.nz.

ANNOUNCING FREE ZOOM WORKSHOPS FOR OUR ONLINE TEACHER SUPPORT

have purchased this series can access these online resources at no cost.

CaxEd will facilitate Zoom presentations and workshops for prospective and current Connecting All Strands users.

Learn how the Online Teacher Support engages with the Stages and Strands series from the comfort of your classroom or teachers’ lounge.

Email joel@caxed.co.nz to schedule a free Zoom workshop/presentation or visit www.caxed.co.nz.

We can now do workshops to assist you with using our Online Teacher Support via ZOOM. To book a workshop, please contact Joel for an appointment:

joel@caxed.co.nz

joel@caxed.co.nz www.caxed.co.nz

TEACHING RESOURCES

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New to the bookshelf this term...

The Austen Girls For middle-grade readers

By Lucy Worsley Bloomsbury Anna Austen has always been told she must marry rich. Her future depends upon it. While her dear cousin Fanny has a little more choice, she too is under pressure to find a suitor. The time will come for each of the Austen girls to become the heroines of their own stories.

Will they follow in Jane’s footsteps?

In this witty, sparkling novel of choices, popular historian Lucy Worsley brings the delightful life of Jane Austen to life for younger readers, from the perspective of Jane’s nieces.

TAKE THE LEAD ON SAFER SCHOOL JOURNEYS Road safety resources for teachers and school leaders.

• Curriculum units Years 1-13 • School Traffic Safety Teams manual • Advice for families and school policies

www.education.nzta.govt.nz

Monstrous Devices

Equip your students to thrive in Asia

For middle-grade readers

By Damien Love Bloomsbury On a winter’s day, twelve-year old Alex receives a package in the mail: an old tin robot from his grandfather. ‘This one is special,’ says the enclosed note, and when strange events start occurring around him, Alex suspects this small toy is more than special; it might be deadly.

Free student workshops Funding for cultural events Classroom resources and lesson plans Find out more: www.asianz.org/education

With an ever-present admiration for the hidden mysteries of our world, Monstrous Devices plunges readers into a gripping adventure that’s sure to surprise. This is a cinematic, original page-turner for fans of Indiana Jones or Alex Rider!

Extraordinaries

In all the years that Elinora Gassbeek has been matron of the Little Tulip Orphanage, not once have the Rules for Baby Abandonment been broken. Until the autumn of 1886, when five babies are left in outrageous circumstances: one in a tin toolbox, one in a coal bucket, one in a picnic hamper, one in a wheat sack, and finally, one in a coffin-shaped basket.

Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl meets Brandon Sanderson’s Steelheart in this heart-warming, laugh-out-loud LGBT #ownvoices superhero story by LAMBDA award-winning author TJ Klune.

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Access the inaccessible!

For Young Adult readers

By TJ Klune Hachette

LEARNZ TAKES YOU THERE LEARNZ award-winning virtual experiences take students to remote locations all over Aotearoa, Antarctica and beyond – and they’re FREE!

Enrol for virtual experiences learnz.org.nz/enrol20

TEACHING RESOURCES

Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

GET THE REAL DEAL WITH POSTURA MAX® When you choose a Postura® you know you’re getting the genuine item, the real deal, high quality original school chair. Loved by thousands of schools around the world, the Postura® is the biggest selling classroom chair with millions of students enjoying the comfort every day. Clever research, genuine science, patented features and serious comfort. Our high performing chairs give you more confidence with a 20 year warranty! Available in a huge range of colours and the option to hot stamp your school logo, Postura Max® remains the perfect choice for schools today.

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The NZ made Orex Mega Spinner is an awesome dynamic play activity that encourages children to climb, spin and learn about inertia. Kids find it thrilling to test reaction strength against centrifugal forces which make for an ideal upper and lower body physical challenge for enhancing strength, balance and coordination. With a huge 40 user capacity, the Orex provides maximum play value in a rather small footprint (area required 6.5m x 6.5m). The Orex comes in your choice of colours and we can provide a surfacing package with installation – contact us today for a free quote.

MIPRO PORTABLE PA SOLUTIONS When rugged reliability and high quality sound really count, MIPRO is #1! Built-in Bluetooth and up to four radio mics - either handheld, headset or lapel, for maximum flexibility. Add an extension speaker for even greater coverage, ideal for sports day and outdoor events. With a wide range of sizes and options, including a CD player option, stands and weather resistant covers - there’s a solution for every situation and budget.

Contact us now to find your local MIPRO experienced dealer.

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DUO TECH TROLLEY A space saving teaching station and attractive functional unit with sturdy steel frame and lockable industrial castors. One side features a Vision magnetic porcelain whiteboard, while the other is an essential TV trolley. The design and materials allow multiple fixing points with flexibility to add storage and up size.

C Potter Interior Systems P 0800 POTTERS W www.potters.co.nz

Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

WHAT’S HOT

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: n w o d ck lo er ft a l o o h sc to g in Return

Ten ways to support students’ mental health and wellbeing 2. Acknowledge the ‘new normal’ Students should be encouraged to remember that although the country is coming out of lockdown, things are not returning to the ‘old normal’, and instead they are heading into a ‘new normal’ for the coming months. So, this may take some preparation, adjustment, and care.

© lev dolgachov – stock.adobe.com

3. Expect a variety of reactions

As students return to school following lockdown, it is likely they will continue to experience the consequences of this year’s disruption to regular routines, family functioning and social relationships.

During the initial phases of lockdown, due to the speed and severity of restrictions, many would have experienced increased levels of anxiety, followed by boredom, frustration and the challenges of online education and reduced interaction with wider family and peers. As lockdown ends, despite the relief of returning to previous routines, they will face the challenge of readjusting to the school environment, schedule, and

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on personal characteristics, immediate circumstances, and socio-economic factors. The true costs and opportunities implicit in this unusual year are unlikely to be understood for quite some time.

Dr Hiran Thabrew, Child Psychiatrist and Paediatrician, Starship Children’s Hospital

social roles. Many, especially those with pre-existing health issues, will also have to manage reality-based and media-amplified concerns about their health.

The cumulative effects of personal stress, family stress and wider societal changes are likely to be dependent

Just as for adults, moving out of lockdown is likely to result in different reactions for different students. Some will be thrilled to spend time with their friends; others will be dreading going back to regular classes at school; some will be dying to get back to sports; others will be anxious about catching COVID-19 after weeks of staying away from people and relentlessly washing their hands. Students should know that it is okay to feel however they feel, but that it is important to manage these feelings so that they can achieve the things they need to do.

4. Encourage students to practice kindness

Still, educational staff, teachers, school nurses, school counsellors and others, are well positioned to support the mental health and wellbeing of students following the return to school. Here are ten ways in which they may do so:

It is also important for students to continue practicing kindness toward other people, as learnt by them and modelled by others during lockdown.

Finding small and regular ways to do so in the school environment would be useful.

1. Encourage the celebration of achievements

5. Support students to settle into new routines

Encourage students to celebrate how well they have done to get through lockdown with their communities and thereby limit the spread of the virus. This will help them learn a lifelong lesson about the value of teamwork.

TEACHER’S DESK

Most children would have experienced the joys and difficulties of returning to school after the long school holidays.

Some, such as those with conditions like anxiety and autism spectrum disorder, may take longer to settle into school routines.

Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

Educators should think about what they can do to help them settle into new routines, rather than expecting them to manage the transition unsupported.

Tips for re-socialisation include getting children to spend time with one or a few classmates before returning to school (so they get used to being with people outside of their ‘bubble’), paying a short visit to their school, and starting with half days rather than full days.

6. Manage academic expectations Some students would have kept up with academic work via online learning. Others may have had to endure missed meals, family stress and technological challenges, and therefore fallen behind.

Appraising individual needs on return to school and trying, as best as possible, to provide additional support or time for the latter group will help to minimise postlockdown academic anxiety and to ensure more equitable results.

on their age and developmental stage. Some children may regress (act like a younger version of themselves) and others may act out (display worse behavior, such as refusal to follow instructions, verbally abusing siblings, or damaging property). Adolescents may act out in different ways, for example using substances, or they may internalise their stress and experience symptoms of anxiety or low mood.

Being alert about the mental health of students during the next few months would be wise. Some schools already undertake routine psychosocial screening of Year 9 students using face-to-face HEADSSS assessments or electronic assessments such as YouthCHAT (echat.fmhs.auckland.ac.nz/).

Others may wish to review their methods of early identification and available school-based or local supports.

7. Identify students who are not coping early

8. Support those with mild-moderate needs to access assistance online or at school

Students may show different signs of struggling, depending

Online options for self-help include Calm® (an app to help people of all

ages relax; Headspace®, a guided meditation app; Sparx®, an NZdeveloped fantasy computer game that aims to help treat adolescent depression. All three are free to access. For more evidence-based eHealth interventions, check out the One Mind Psyberguide website.

School-based supports include school nurses, school counsellors, other staff members with pastoral care roles and peers. Educate or remind students about how to access them if needed.

9. Support those with greater needs to access help elsewhere External face-to-face options may be accessed via GPs, the national counselling helpline 1737, non-government organisation (NGO) therapists or primary care psychologists.

For a comprehensive list, see the Healthpoint website.

Referral to an infant, child and adolescent mental health service is appropriate if screening tools or other assessment indicate students are experiencing moderatesevere symptoms, especially if there is any immediate risk to

themselves or to/from others.

10. Educators should look after their own health Finally, although it might seem like the pressures of lockdown are over, many adults may find that the cumulative stresses of transitioning to online work, managing the demands of their personal and family situations and returning to new routines may belatedly catch up with them. Signs of this may include feeling generally irritable or disgruntled with life, sleeping poorly, and becoming low in mood.

Some may even develop frank biological and cognitive symptoms of depression. In addition, lockdown coping habits may have to be gracefully discarded.

Educators should be supported to access necessary help so that they can be optimally available to students and get through the coming months together.

Dr Hiran Thabrew is a Child Psychiatrist and Paediatrician who works at Starship Children’s Hospital in Auckland and the University of Auckland.

The Guide.

Recharged.

IMPROVED GRAPHICS, BETTER USER EXPERIENCE

Werry Workforce Whāraurau is the National Centre for infant, child and youth mental health workforce development. We provide training and support to practitioners working with children and whānau.

The Incredible Years training programmes for teachers of children aged 3-8 years, and teachers of children aged 2-5 on the autism spectrum, help teachers support children’s emotional regulation, positive social interactions, behaviour and language development.

“I’ve got strategies to help young people with anxiety and depression.”

SPARX.ORG.NZ

Our online courses, via e-module and webinar, are government funded and free to access.

SPARX IS AN INTERACTIVE GAME-WORLD DESIGNED TO HELP YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE FEELING DOWN Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

TEACHER’S DESK

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Whole-school wellbeing is a marathon not a sprint ©Robert Kneschke - stock.adobe.com

Ups, downs, and challenges will always make us wonder if we are making any progress.

That is a given! After the COVID-19 lockdown, and the ‘22-week term’, it is easy to focus on those challenges.

Now, more than ever, we need to focus on what is good and what is best for our students, our staff, our schools, and the communities that support us.

Dr Denise Quinlan, Director, New Zealand Institute of Wellbeing & Resilience

Fundamental to wellbeing for people or systems, is being able to feel grateful and focusing on what is right and best. The benefits of gratitude and a strengths focus, simple though they sound, have been shown to reduce burnout and increase job satisfaction in

new teachers; increase student resilience and reduce entitlement; build work teams that perform better under pressure; and build high trust environments where people more easily share information and support each other.

register now

Building on what’s good in your school School wellbeing needs a solid foundation: this is built by noticing the good work already happening in the school, protecting, learning from, and building on it. Each school needs to be able to draw on their unique strengths to address the wellbeing challenges they face.

Schools have unique histories, places, staff, community, and challenges. How schools develop wellbeing is usually a tailored response to their situation rather than an off-the-shelf solution.

What is working in schools?

In over a decade’s work around the world, what we have seen working to build whole-school wellbeing is:

for NZ’s largest wellbeing conference

The past few months have been challenging – now it’s time to: • Connect with your colleagues • Share your learning and insights • Be inspired by our NZ and international speakers • Build our collective wellbeing Auckland 13 & 14 September 2020

•

A commitment to educator wellbeing as well as student wellbeing.

•

A commitment to staff wellbeing PLD to build school wellbeing capability enabling staff to become the internal engine of the school’s wellbeing development.

•

An understanding that wellbeing must include all of the school stakeholders, especially whanau.

•

Adoption of a shared language and understanding of what wellbeing means, which can be expressed as a wellbeing model, a graphic, a whakatauki/motto, or within the school values.

Christchurch 16 & 17 September 2020

•

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Skillful use of appropriate frameworks and pedagogies

TEACHER’S DESK

that support wellbeing leaders to design plans and make informed choices about next steps and priorities for the school.

•

Building on strengths, staying focused on a limited number of priorities, and not trying to do everything at once.

•

Whole-school wellbeing takes time, because…

•

Schools need to involve all educators, administrative and support staff, all students, and their whanau.

•

Wellbeing has to be ‘caught’ as well as taught; i.e. lived and modelled in the school.

•

School policies and structures must be aligned with the goal of wellbeing, including assessment, timetabling, discipline, performance review.

This year has presented schools and educators with extraordinary challenges. This is not a time for bemoaning progress not yet made on this year’s plans. It is time to appreciate all you have done, what you have coped with, to acknowledge and celebrate each other. If you focus on the new learning and insights, there may be some ‘COVID silver linings’, benefits from the past few months that can add to school wellbeing.

Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou.

Dr Denise Quinlan, Director New Zealand Institute of Wellbeing & Resilience, co-author of The Educators’ Guide to Whole-school Wellbeing, Routledge, 2020.

Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

NEW ZEALAND SCHOOLS ARE SPORTING A NEW LOOK

S AGENT AND AL E Z W E N WIDE

Howick College At Teamturf we understand the impact the New Zealand climate has on schools’ outdoor synthetic turf. Over the last 14 years we have developed a range of premium quality synthetic turfs that deliver the highest levels of performance, safety and durability. Our synthetic sports turfs cater specifically for school tennis, hockey, soccer, rugby, cricket and multi-use purposes. If your school’s sports and play areas are in need of a new look, talk to our team of artificial turf experts.

www.teamturf.co.nz 0508 836 647 I info@teamturf.co.nz TEACHER’S DESK

School parking pitfalls:

Is the run, walk or roll to your school stressful?

By Mandy Clarke, Industry Reporter

In an ideal world, cars and schools would not mix; ‘free range’ kids would walk or cycle to school for the environmental and health benefits.

School migration might help slow rising obesity levels and improve independence skills; but it is never going to be possible 100 percent of the time for all families and increasing foot traffic around school carparks has its own dangers.

Sorry to bring up the dreaded C-word, but because of postCOVID restrictions the number of cars rolling in and out of your school may even increase. As we continue to navigate this global pandemic, social distancing will likely come in waves, and parental anxieties may increase to the point that they feel more comfortable dropping their kids to the school gate rather than allowing them to use a crowded bus or walk with a group of friends.

At peak parking times, dangers around the school site and parking areas can escalate very quickly, with tens to hundreds of stressed adults, cars and children thrown together, vying for a park or weaving through a pick up zone. It really is a melting pot for potential disasters.

However, risks can be managed with simple planning and easyto-introduce measures. Let us examine some of the risks and how to reduce them...

Distracted drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, or children. The school run is the perfect time to become distracted because so much is going on. Studies also show that drivers admit to being more likely to use their phone to

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Image courtesy of Vanguard

safety advice guidelines, driving below the speed limit and to weather conditions reduces death and trauma on roads.

They state: “Everyone travelling a few kilometres slower makes us all safer. With even a small decrease in average speed, we see a decrease in the number of fatal and injury crashes”.

call or text while driving through a car park or while waiting in traffic. On top of this, during hectic times (like pre-Christmas) drivers, and pedestrians are hurried and more likely to be preoccupied by their to-do lists.

De-escalate distractions. Have well-planned and clearly marked traffic flow with lanes in and out of your school property.

Use signs to check bad behaviours, and remind drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists to ‘Think’, ‘Be Aware’ and ‘Look Out’ for dangers. Bollards and barriers can also be used to direct cars and block off areas to decrease risks to pedestrians.

Ease congestion. At highuse times you might consider introducing slightly staggered pick up times for varied year groups. Have cycle lanes, walking paths and bus parking zones.

Improve visibility. Parking areas are riskier than you think especially when visibility is poor

Image courtesy of Northpac

and congestion is bad, do you have well signed lanes and prevent cars from cutting across parks?

Use a one-way system alongside ‘STOP’ and ‘No-Parking’ signs, plus reminders to be mindful of other vehicles, pedestrians and aware of small children and parents with baby strollers using the area.

Speed reduction. According to New Zealand Police road

HEALTH & SAFETY

It is vital that drivers in and around your school property must slow down and if necessary slow to a snail’s pace, especially during the most congested periods.

Warning signs can help but you may need to consider the use of speed bumps.

Speed bumps. The sole aim of speed bumps is to slow down cars and traffic, installing speeds bumps can slow cars down up to about 8kmph going over the humps and about 30kmph between humps depending on the distance between each.

Slower speed means drivers have more time to spot hazards and react accordingly to prevent Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

any accidents or collisions.

Of course, even at slow speeds, there is a chance that accidents could still happen, but speed bumps reduce braking distance and reduce energy transfer upon impact and this will greatly reduce the risk and damage to any person or vehicle involved.

Speed bumps can be sourced in a variety of heights to minimise inconvenience to drivers and you can even get portable speed bumps, these are easy to install and remove and could offer the most flexible solution to your needs.

Repairs. Maintain and update your property and repair potholes or cracks in pavements and roads, keep your grounds clear of debris, improve lighting, and beware of any surface that is prone to developing puddles, snow, and ice. Remember that slips, trips, and falls are also common accidents in car parks.

Expand or re-vamp your parking.

Decide on the minimum number of parking spaces you need and check with your local council for specific requirements relating to your school size and zone.

Make sure you provide sufficient

parking for people with disabilities and if your school roll has grown make sure you also have funding to provide new car park spaces.

Visit the Standards NZ website for more information about the specific requirements for off-street parking for people with disabilities.

Develop your own car parking policy. It is recommended that you develop a parking policy about the use of car parks on your school site. You should have a sound management strategy in place, not only for the school run but also for visitor parking, staff parking and student parking.

Likewise, have a policy for managing special events like school fairs and work towards effective management of these problems, solutions may include encouraging people to walk to school, carpool, use public transport or introduce a park and ride system. Some electronic management systems can even provide live updates on your school website about how many spaces are available, or how congested the school gates have become.

Standing between

children and harm

Young children (especially aged five to nine years) are extremely vulnerable near roads and in, and around, carparks.

They are excitable, have short attention spans and lack adults’ peripheral vision and experience in calculating distance and speed.

Importantly, according to the Ministry of Transport, the majority of accidents in which children are involved are directly related to attending school, with peaks within an hour of school beginning and an hour after it ends.

The tragedy is that many accidents were preventable.

Often danger starts in the school car park, so it’s up to us all to make carparks and entry and exit points as safe as possible. This can be achieved through awareness campaigns

(for parents and children), and physical barriers, traffic calmers and pedestrian control systems. The latter help ensure speeds are slow, children’s movements are contained, and drivers’ are focussed.

Every child is precious. We’re here to help you safeguard them.

Craig McLean, a parent himself, and the rest of the team at Vanguard work with schools throughout New Zealand, advising on best practice traffic and child safety. Contact them at 0800 500 147 or email info@vanguardgroup.co.nz

Why compliant YOUR TRAFFIC SAFETY speed humps?

IS OUR BUSINESS...

NORTHPAC are the Speed Hump specialists and offer a large range of Speed Humps & Traffic Calming devices for school Pick Up and Drop Down zones as well as school car parks.

Speed Humps, manufactured from recycled rubber and plastic come in a variety of profiles from 35mm high to the maximum allowable height of 75mm. The current standard AS/NZS 2890.1:2004 covers the type of Speed Hump that can be installed; they must be flat on the top to a maximum width of 150mm with a 1 in 2 incline.

Along with stocking standard rubber Speed Humps

NORTHPAC supply their standards approved P.E. plastic Speed Hump in two heights of 60mm & 70mm. These are manufactured in Australia and come with a five-year warranty.

NORTHPAC also supply other products such as Rumble Bars, Bendable Bollards, and Wheel Stops etc. Contact your NORTHPAC team; they are your first choice for Traffic Management products.

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CONTACT OUR SALES TEAM FOR PRICING, SUPPLY & INSTALL OPTIONS 0800 40 60 20 OR EMAIL SALES@NORTHPAC.COM

WWW.NORTHPAC.COM

Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

HEALTH & SAFETY

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lives. A form of ritual, preparing food for community or whanau for fun or part of a project, builds a sense of self-confidence and cultural responsibility, but also helps strengthen relationships and build social currency. Learning to cook is a process of learning to care for oneself and others.

©Monkey Business - stock.adobe.com

Commercial kitchen, classroom tools

Food practice:

Possibilities for social and vocational development

By Rosie Clarke, Editor

A fascinating ethnographic study undertaken with teachers and 16 to 18-year-old students around New Zealand found that ‘food rituals’ are a staple in our schools.

Gifting food, ritualised sharing, and ‘the lunch walk’ These were the core rituals that researchers, Eva Neely, Mat Walton and Christine Stephens, identified in their Health Education study. Each ritual highlights the role of food as a surprisingly sophisticated tool for social development in school settings.

When ‘gifting’, students present food to each other to signal and cement friendship boundaries by making a public gesture that excludes others and generates attention. Cake is a common feature in this ritual, according to the study. The researchers noted in their observations: “Young people could use minimal financial resources to mediate their feelings and friendship to others. Gifting cake was also a

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way of representing one’s own skills and care for one’s friends publicly. The pride associated with the baked goods was an important aspect of the ritual.”

‘Ritualised sharing’ was correlated with social networking. The study found that “students who were sharing with acquaintances appeared to be those who had a larger friendship circle, made friends quite easily, and also fluctuated with whom they spent most of their time.” Offering food to a new student was considered an invitation to join the conversation, group, or become friends.

Students frequently engaged in planned ‘lunch walks’, researchers observed. “The ritualised lunch walk was a way of establishing, maintaining, and strengthening relationships through the shared purpose of food purchasing. Not every lunch walk participant was required to purchase; instead, the act of joining in appeared to be the key mechanism by which the ritual functioned as a bonding practice.”

The curriculum focus on food focuses on nutrition, but food has much broader implications for social wellbeing that schools could capitalise on. As a practice, making food is deeply connected to how people form

and maintain relationships. As a subject choice, food technology is an opportunity for schools to engage learners in a much more community-centred and inquiry-based learning practice.

Learning to cook as self-care Who else learned to cook a few new recipes during lockdown?

The limitations on supermarket visits and household budgets sparked a micro-industry of web tutorials teaching people how to cook properly using basic, cheap, long-lasting, ingredients. Why did it take a global pandemic for so many people to learn the basics?

Re-thinking cookery as a practice, rather than a necessity or simply a vocational pathway is critical for wellbeing. Humans have honed the practice of cooking over thousands of years; it is a practice that children can begin in school and at home and continue to learn throughout their lives. The classroom kitchen, or food technology facility, can be approached in this way as a space to provide students with access to tools and effective training to use those tools so they can develop their own unique practice of cooking, which they will hone and take with them throughout their

FOOD & BEVERAGE

The size of your school kitchen will depend on class-size, but classroom kitchen spaces should always be separate from areas where contamination may take place, such as a science classroom. The Ministry of Education’s guidance material for food technology indicates that any food tech space must include hand-washing facilities, separate dishwashing facilities, non-porous workbenches or tables, adequate lighting and ventilation, cleaning agents, and rubbish disposal facilities.

Choosing high quality commercialgrade kitchen appliances will help your facility cope better with high-use and provide more opportunities for students to practice industry-level vocational skills. Safety is paramount and teachers new to food technology should check out the Ministry of Primary Industries’ website to brush up on current legislative expectations. Safety requirements for all equipment, including small appliances like eggbeaters, should be demonstrated to students before they have a go themselves; so always discuss these requirements with your chosen supplier when you purchase new items. Importantly, a registered electrician or gasfitter must install electric or gas stoves, and a certificate of compliance must be obtained from that tradesperson on completion.

If you would like to upgrade or install a specialist food technology learning space, we recommend exploring specialist suppliers who have worked with schools before.

There is absolutely no reason why any teenager in 2020 should be able to utter the phrase, ‘I can’t cook’. Developing a highquality cookery program at your school can benefit learners in all aspects of their lives.

Reference Neely, Eva, Mat Walton, and Christine Stephens. “Fostering Social Relationships through Food Rituals in a New Zealand School.” Health Education, vol. 116, no. 5, 2016, pp. 434-48.

Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

Leading kitchen equipment specialists From humble beginnings in 1948 to an iconic leader in New Zealand’s commercial and domestic kitchen equipment supply industry, our established reputation for excellence in customer service and product support is now even greater.

Joining forces with E.CF-Asia Pacific, incorporating Reward Hospitality and Tas Hotel & Catering Supplies in mid-July 2019, we now offer a hugely expanded inventory and extra capacity, as well as the largest hospitality showroom in the country.

To support this growth, we opened a brand-new head office, warehouse and stateof-the-art showroom in March 2020 located in East Tamaki, Auckland. The new showroom boasts a fully operational test kitchen, bar and wash-up zones,

We now also have access to a broader and more comprehensive product offering from the global E.CF Group sourcing network, larger inventory depths, digital tools and group support.

as well as inspirational displays of the latest industry leading brands, products and trends in tabletop and domestic sinks.

Burns & Ferrall’s director, Tony Broome says “Our new premises gives us the capability to offer next day delivery anywhere on the North Island, with future plans to offer the same service to the South.”

The larger premises consolidates the distribution, service, delivery & dispatch arms of our business creating greater supply chain efficiencies for our valued

customers. An inhouse project & design team completes a conceptto-completion service offering.

CEO of E.CF-Asia Pacific, David Bull says, “The importance of maintaining local representation is essential to our success within New Zealand & the Pacific Islands and is something E.CF-Asia Pacific and Burns & Ferrall have an ongoing commitment to. The opening of the new full-service Auckland head office, warehouse and showroom is the first step in supporting and developing this already exceptional business”.

“We’re really excited about showcasing and delivering our industry-leading products, even quicker than ever before,” says Director Tony Broome.

“Customers will notice our broadened range into tabletop and consumable categories, showing our commitment to becoming the hospitality industry supplier and distributor of choice.”

For more information visit burnsferrall.co.nz or call 0508 152 264. Burns & Ferrall, 12 Reg Savory Place, East Tamaki, Auckland.

Burns & Ferrall are proud to supply local schools and businesses: • • • • • • • •

Cleaning Essentials Crockery & Disposables Cutlery & Glassware Food Serving Trays Kitchen Equipment Kitchenware Packaging Washroom Nationwide Sales & Service Support Freephone 0508 152 264 sales@burnsferrall.co.nz burnsferrall.co.nz

Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

FOOD & BEVERAGE

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Locking down professional quality sports surfaces

By Rosie Clarke, Editor

Sporting competitions and events could not be substituted during lockdown.

Virtual PE classes, YouTube tutorials and other e-learning routines helped some students stay active and engaged during the height of the COVID-19 crisis, but none of it came close to replicating the feel of a real court surface under-foot, or the energy of sharing the field with team mates. After so many of this year’s school sporting events were postponed or cancelled because of the pandemic, particularly around Winter Tournament Week, schools and national sports groups have been working hard to develop new opportunities for students to play

and compete in the second half of this year and well into 2021.

One benefit of the downtime, however, was that it coincided with school investment package applications, which were open to state schools with property upgrade plans in the first half of this year. We have seen some stunning school refurbishments already and expect to see more as applications get approved. It is an exciting time for schools to survey their outdoor facilities and start planning surface upgrades.

Particularly as schools see increased student participation from returning students, and parents, who have hit the ground running since schools re-opened, excited to make up for lost time by proudly championing their school colours. Riding this wave of postlockdown enthusiasm, resurfacing

can add professionalism to a regular sports court. Today, sports surfaces can be custom designed with school colours or branding and can meet the needs of an even wider variety of sports.

School News took some time this issue to speak with industry experts in sports facility resurfacing to find out about any new design trends, drainage concerns and different application types.

Phil Lewis, Managing Director of Teamturf and APT Asia Pacific agent, discussed some wild new variations in turf surfaces now available and offered us some school design recommendations.

He said: “Since the mid-80s, a standard sand-filled 19mm straight fibre synthetic turf has been the go-to for tennis courts and multi-use areas in schools.

Phil Lewis

In the past five years, however, synthetic turf technology has come a long way to create a twisted (texturised) yarn, which I highly recommend for schools.

“When installed, it requires a lot less sand infill. More yarn and less sand create a more usable surface for the kids and lower maintenance for school budgets.

Awe-inspiring new sports precinct revitalises Christchurch The devastating Christchurch earthquakes in 2011 destroyed much of the city’s surrounding sporting facilities but did nothing to quell the local community’s hope nor determination.

tennis balls, for added comfort and 21 percent force reduction.

It is an incredibly cost-effective way to breathe new life into asphalt or concrete surfaces, is low maintenance, and comes in a huge range of colours to encourage student play and participation.

Laykold is also the official court surface of the Miami Open, New York Open and now the US Open – the world’s biggest tennis Grand Slam.

The Christchurch City Council began its significant task to reconstruct fallen buildings, including many sports facilities.

The idea was not to simply replace the previous ones, but to develop a bigger and better central hub that catered to several sports, such as hockey, tennis, and athletics.

Asia Pacific’s Laykold® Masters system.

The council employed several contractors including Rod Armstrong from Prestige Sports Surfaces to complete the new Ngā Puna Wai Sports Precinct. Rod was responsible for installing the 12 International Tennis Federationcertified tennis courts using APT

“For this project, Laykold Masters was selected as the preferred surface due to its ability to withstand high usage over a long period of time, its multi-use applications including netball and basketball, and its range of longlasting colours,” explains Rod.

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Laykold Masters is part of APT’s wider Laykold family of acrylic sports surfaces that can be customised to achieve the desired performance, playability and appearance. Specifically, the Laykold Masters Float system is a great option for schools as it includes a prefabricated shock pad layer, made from recycled

SPORTS & RECREATION

The Ngā Puna Wai Sports Precinct was completed in March 2019 and has proven to be an incredibly popular hub for community and elite tennis, hockey and athletics events.

Christchurch has certainly endured several tragedies in the past several years; however, facilities like Ngā Puna Wai continue to bring hope and togetherness to the community.

Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

Twisted yarn fibres provide the ultimate hockey and netball surface, as it replicates the smooth ball roll and great traction underfoot of internationally approved surfaces.”

For Rod Armstrong, Managing Director of Prestige Sports Surfaces and APT Asia Pacific agent, refurbishing a sports surface should reflect the high level of professionalism that parents are looking for.

He revealed: “When looking to refurbish a sports surface, it’s important to note that parents (and children) expect more from schools and their facilities these days.

“People’s expectations are high, and they look to professional sporting fields, courts and advancements in surface technology for their desired standards. New or upgraded surfaces not only improve child safety and reduce injury, but boost school moral, pride and active participation in sport/recreational activities. I also encourage using bright colours as these are more appealing to children and will help schools increase engagement and participation in sports/outside activity.”

Rod also elaborated on how

Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

Riding the wave of postlockdown enthusiasm, resurfacing can add professionalism to a regular sports court Rod Armstrong

principals might extend their budgets this year: “Schools are always looking to stretch their dollar further, and by making courts or outdoor spaces multi-use, schools with a smaller footprint are able to cater for a wider variety of sporting and recreational applications. Each surface type serves a different purpose. So, it is certainly important to consider what your school wants to use each space or surface for. For example, a hard, acrylic surface with a soft cushioning underlay can cater to all weather conditions and can be applied over concrete or asphalt.

This type of surface is generally suitable for tennis, basketball, netball and multi-sport use.”

Phil noted that “vibrant turf colours, combined with character inlays, make a unique and customised play space for schools”. He advised that schools: “Try and keep the design as simple as possible; too many lines can make the area messy and complicated. Where possible, use common lines for two different sports on the same multi-use play area, but alternate the colours to define the sports.

“A coloured border on the turf is also a great finishing touch – a blue border on a green court area is my current favourite!” For Rod, “hard surfaces can also be repaired at an affordable price when compared to other surface types”.

Drainage should not be overlooked, according to Phil: “When building a school play area, the most

SPORTS & RECREATION

important aspect is to make sure the area drains well and can be used 365 days of the year. If you are planning on covering an existing concrete or asphalt area make sure any low areas that hold water are repaired first, to prevent this happening once the new turf is installed. If you are building a new area from scratch, use a free-draining basecourse base and this will speed up drainage and make for dry feet when the kids arrive back in the classroom!”

Rod suggested schools carefully monitor their existing surfaces: “Also, I always recommend looking out for cracks, trip hazards and uneven levels with old hard courts.

All these issues can be repaired if resurfacing is not an option.”

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Meadowbank School shows “enormous pride” in new surfacing It was a long time coming, but worth the wait for Auckland’s Meadowbank School community!

BEFORE

An old, worn asphalt area covering just over 1,000m2 was transformed into three new junior netball courts and a hockey training area, thanks to the sports turf installation experts at Teamturf.

After an extensive amount of fundraising over several years, including countless initiatives and hundreds of hours spent to raise the required funds, the school community can now finally enjoy their new artificial courts with enormous pride.

The brand-new covered area has improved the variety and safety of the physical education activities available to students by providing an all-weather, all-season space for outdoor games and sports.

Meadowbank now introduces younger children to different types of activities to develop their skills from an earlier age.

The turf installation process is normally very weather dependent with delays often experienced during the winter months; however, the installation team on this project found themselves enjoying an uninterrupted run due

Image courtesy of Teamturf

to the roof structure having been installed prior to arriving onsite.

The old asphalt base needed some repair work prior to the installation of the turf. The installation technicians patched the low areas and depressions with a specialist levelling compound resulting in a completely even area, ready for installation of the artificial grass.

Meadowbank School selected the Probounce Coolplus surface manufactured by APT Asia Pacific and Teamturf’s premier multiuse school surface. Probounce Coolplus is a 16mm surface designed to be the perfect multiuse surface for schools. The twisted yarn fibres and lower sand volume combined with a vibrant range of colours gives the court

great visual appearance. The texturised monofilament yarn fibre provides a multitude of benefits including a non-directional influence on hockey ball rolls and a consistent ball bounce for all other ball sports. This was a big factor in the school’s decision as the surface needed to cater for PE classes and netball and hockey training and games.

“Since the cover went over the courts and the new turf was put down the space has been transformed into an all-weather teaching space. As the physical education specialist, I have found the surface suitable for a vast array of sports,” explains Greg Sullivan from Meadowbank School.

AFTER

“The old asphalt surface was slippery and had faded with confusing court markings.

The new Probounce Coolplus turf has good grip and clear simplified court markings which has been really useful for both safety and teaching purposes.”

Image courtesy of Teamturf

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SPORTS & RECREATION

The courts are now in use from 7:30 to 17:30 most days and are also well used by the school community over the weekend, especially in the wet winter months!

Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

NEW ZEALAND SCHOOLS ARE SPORTING A NEW LOOK

S AGENT AND AL E Z W E N WIDE

Howick College At Teamturf we understand the impact the New Zealand climate has on schools’ outdoor synthetic turf. Over the last 14 years we have developed a range of premium quality synthetic turfs that deliver the highest levels of performance, safety and durability. Our synthetic sports turfs cater specifically for school tennis, hockey, soccer, rugby, cricket and multi-use purposes. If your school’s sports and play areas are in need of a new look, talk to our team of artificial turf experts.

www.teamturf.co.nz 0508 836 647 I info@teamturf.co.nz SPORTS & RECREATION

Listen here: How acoustics impact learning

By Lucinda Dean, Industry Reporter

•

Alarmingly, in US classrooms, every fourth word spoken by the teacher is not properly grasped by learners. This is because US classrooms typically have a ‘speech intelligibility’ rating of 75 percent or less.

Speech intelligibility is simply the proportion of what is said that the listener can readily understand.

The source of this data is a US study titled, Classroom Acoustics: A Resource for Creating Environments with Desirable Learning Conditions (2000).

The point of sharing this frightening statistic with you is to drive home the idea that getting the acoustics right for your school’s learning spaces is critical to effective learning. Listening and comprehension (and hence, learning) are intrinsically linked.

Young children especially are poor listeners compared to adults as they are neurologically undeveloped and lack basic comprehension tools, such as the ability to make predications based on the context of what is being said. Throw background noise into the mix and little ears could miss key words, phrases and concepts, which can result in poor academic performance and even behavioural problems. Background noise can be caused by anything from road traffic to grass cutting; loud voices in the playground or adjoining classrooms to rattling HVAC systems. It is perhaps the hardest ‘noise pollution’ to contain as having windows open is arguably also necessary for classroom ventilation and air quality.

Image courtesy of Asona

New Zealand traditional primary school classrooms noted that: •

•

•

71 percent of teachers felt that internal classroom noise was a problem; More than 33 percent of teachers indicated they had to speak at a level that strained their voices; and Around 50 percent of teachers said they had to considerably raise their voices during group work.

For listeners, reverberation can seem like the sound is coming from all directions at once, at the same decibel level, which is disorienting and can negatively impact learner concentration.

The shift in recent years from traditional classrooms, where the teacher stands at the front addressing the entire class, to more flexible learning spaces presents yet another challenge for speech intelligibility. Older schools were simply not designed for today’s teaching approach.

Nowadays, the teacher’s voice

needs to be heard across the entire classroom as they move around, working with individuals or groups.

Specific criteria for acoustic measurements in classrooms are not included in the New Zealand Building Code, however, the MoE’s Design of Quality Learning Spaces Acoustics (DQLS v2.0, September 2016) sets the minimum standard for school buildings. Currently, it falls to architects and designers to interpret it. DQLS (2016) acknowledges that “for these flexible learning spaces to support learning it is important that they are acoustically engineered to address potential background noise issues”. To achieve good acoustics and maintain flexibility of the space, the DQLS (2016) stipulates that designers are to: •

Look for every available opportunity to use highly absorptive materials on floors, ceilings, and walls;

•

Typically provide for 3-4m2 per learner to allow better acoustic separation; and

Teachers are also casualties of poor acoustic environments as loud or reverberant classrooms can cause them to raise their voices to compete with the sound of their own voice ‘coming back’ to their ears (reverberation).

This can contribute to increased teacher stress and voice fatigue.

The Oticon Foundation’s study in

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Image courtesy of Versare

PROPERTY

Provide a range of adaptable learning spaces, including spaces that can be acoustically separated when required (such as break out spaces).

If you are a representative of a state school built prior to 2015, and have used your School Investment Package (2019) funding to address your school’s acoustics, then we invite you to tell us what you have planned. We recommend any remedial work on your school building’s acoustics be done by an appropriately qualified designer or an acoustic specialist. School News spoke to a couple of experts to get the lowdown on the latest solutions available to correcting acoustics in existing school spaces.

Industry experts sound off Chris Davies, the manager at Versare, shared some tips for schools looking to refurbish, and commented on emerging acoustic trends.

“Where budgets allow, I have seen increased demand for vibrant fabric colours and the integration of polycarbonate panels to allow for light flow, or to use as white boards in certain applications.

Schools want to set themselves apart from their peers and customisation has become central to creating adaptable learning spaces that dampen sound and boost functionality. For example, it has become popular to use acoustical room dividers that double as white boards.

“Dividers that use noisedampening acoustic fabric, as opposed to polycarbonate variants, allows for pushpin signage and artwork display. Plastic panels also offer less noise control, although their sleek style is spray-cleanable, and they provide a different level of translucency to allow light through without sacrificing privacy.

Portable and lightweight, they offer teachers the ability to create learning stations or separate areas for small group work. They are also perfect for teachers to use to rearrange a room as quickly and easily as they need to.

Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

“When refurbishing, schools should consider spatial impact on student success; whether they are able to make big changes or not. Teachers can redesign their rooms to offer students more opportunities to direct their own learning, with separate activity areas, spaces for group collaboration, and more. Tools like portable partitions, and flexible seating can help. Wallmounted acoustic panels can aid in managing noise levels and incorporating a few plants into the room will add a natural element and take your classroom to the next level.”

panels do not deliver the required sound absorption. Another trend is the use of decorative wood prints, colours and perforated laminate finishes over an acoustic panel to create decorative interest and help define common areas and break out spaces from teaching spaces. Wakatipu high school and Ormiston senior college are terrific examples of this!”

Neil Ridgway, managing director at Asona unveiled new acoustic trends catching on in schools.

“Examples seen are a tech space becoming a dance studio, afterschool care space becoming a teaching space, and a dental clinic becoming a teaching space. Acoustic wall coverings are a key part of this process, helping schools to refresh spaces that were previously of little use and unappealing. Making spaces work well acoustically, they can be installed quickly with minimal preparation, and totally transforming the feel of a space. Acoustic materials are also extremely durable and minimise ongoing maintenance.

“Over the last 10 years there has been a strong drive to improve the acoustic performance of learning spaces. Initially, acoustic pin board wall coverings were used but the new code puts emphasis on ceiling acoustic treatment as it’s more effective in controlling reverberation and background noise levels and is less disruptive for renovation projects.

“I’ve seen new builds typically use suspended grid and tile ceilings as they integrate mechanical services efficiently and allows for a range of acoustic panels with specialised performance characteristics or decorative finishes to be used. For example, to control rain noise under metal roofs you can use 60mm thick mass loaded acoustic panels which attenuate rain noise as well as absorb the room noise.

“Renovation of existing classrooms is often more challenging. In my experience, the most effective method is to place a 50mm thick NRC 1.00 acoustic panel over the original ceiling and fit around lights and heaters.

It is important from an acoustics perspective that panels are 50mm when direct fixed as thinner

Rachael Marsh from Potter Interior Systems has noticed schools are taking on mid-sized retrofit projects to re-purpose spaces at minimal cost.

“Another trend in schools when specifying acoustic materials is to create visual features. Acoustic elements are now seen in more areas than just the classroom.

Acoustic wall linings are a standard element of any new build these days; however, as one of the last elements being installed, they are often cut back if a budget has become tight. This is an easy way save money but will disrupt students and teachers, with studies showing that students in classrooms without acoustic treatments find it harder to learn.

“Brilliantly, acoustic wall linings can still be installed after the new build is complete with no fuss.”

Supporting NZ schools for over 18 years with locally manufactured high performance acoustic ceiling and wall panels.

Call our technical support team for sound advice.

T: 09 525 6575 www.asona.co.nz Image courtesy of Potter Interior Systems

Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

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Switching the lights back on post-COVID

Image courtesy of Eurotech Lighting

By Mandy Clarke, Industry Reporter

Did you know that post-lockdown, the government is offering different financial incentives designed to encourage property upgrades across hundreds of state schools and kura?

Funds are available for school improvement projects, especially targeting energy efficiency, and the hoped-for knock-on effect is to support jobs for local tradespeople. In May, a $160 million injection was announced

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by Education Minister Chris Hipkins. He said: “Classrooms at almost 600 small or remote state schools will be tested to assess lighting quality, noise levels and temperature. All schools that need improvements such as LED lights, acoustic panelling and ceiling insulation will receive them, with work starting later this year.�

In addition, the Sustainability Contestable Fund is set to support energy saving and sustainable projects at schools around New Zealand. A $400 million School Investment Package was also announced back in December for projects at 149 schools. These are expected to get off the ground soon.

Despite global economic anxiety in the shadow of COVID, the pandemic has really highlighted how important education and physical schooling truly is...

Teachers, parents, employers, and the government all witnessed up-close this year, what happens when the school environment is stripped away or found to be inadequate.

Nationwide distance learning was not only stressful and overwhelming for everybody, but it also highlighted serious inequities in terms of accessibility.

Parents struggled to go back to work, or work from home, while schools were closed, and the digital divide was more visible

PROPERTY

than ever between high-income and low-income families.

It turns out that a well-designed learning space is not just necessary for students, or part of our cultural schooling tradition, but is essential to the way in which our society functions.

Keeping students engaged and motivated is the natural domain of the modern classroom and now that we have warmly welcomed our learners back to school, how can we improve the functionality and ambiance of their school environments?

One classic, easy way to do this it to assess and improve classroom lighting.

Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

PROPERTY

©Photographee.eu - stock.adobe.com

School News caught up with an industry leader in LED lighting for schools to find out about new design options and energy efficiency boosts.

for purpose, at any time. Having the appropriate light levels makes a space more enjoyable to use, which in-turn improves attention span and productivity levels.

Alerts can also be set up when lights are left on, not performing at optimum levels, or not working at all. This reduces the need for manual ‘grounds’ checks.

Industry Opinion Q&A, with Justine Hickie, managing director of Eurotech Lighting.

Q. What makes lighting energy efficient?

Q. How is LED lighting best used in schools?

A. Effective lighting designs for any space including schools should capitalise on the natural light that is available and be complimented with artificial light where required. Lighting levels that leverage natural light have shown to benefit the health of pupils and make them more productive and attentive, emphasising the importance of getting a ‘fit for purpose’ lighting design produced up front.

©jittawit.21 - stock.adobe.com

A. Light emitting diode (LED) technology is currently the most energy efficient lighting solution on the market. This technology has a smaller power consumption to light output ratio compared to other lighting technologies, so there is significantly reduced power consumption. It can also function using timers and sensors that ensure it only uses power when needed: daylight (lux) and motion sensors are available to match the sensor functionality requirements of particular spaces within schools.

Q. What technical advice and support should a school have and how regular?

Q. What are the benefits of installing a lighting management control system in a school?

A. Lighting control systems are designed for data communication

that offers multiple economic benefits, such as automating lighting for use, and easily adjusting light levels for different tasks. Setting the correct lighting level in each room and for every task ensures that all spaces are fit

Q. What energy efficient lighting grants are available for schools?

A. There are local community grant and funding options available which schools could leverage for lighting, such as: Generosity’s “Givus”, Fonterra’s Grass Root fund and EECA Q. What does school lighting of the future look like?

©turgaygundogdu - stock.adobe.com

LED technology is available in all types of lighting fixtures from downlights, battens, buttons, step lights, bulkheads, and pendants. It is easily accessible and much more affordable than it once was as advancements in the manufacturing process have made it more cost-effective to produce. These savings have been passed on to the buyer, making the technology more attainable.

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A. The frequency of technical advice really depends on the immediate needs and priorities of the school, as well as where they are in their power saving journey. Budget tends to also have a large impact on this.

But lighting technology is continuously changing, and schools should review their lighting requirements at least every few years to ensure they are capitalising on the benefits of changing technology. Smaller more frequent investments could pay off in the long term.

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A. Human centric lighting will intuitively and automatically adjust to our exact requirements as we move throughout spaces.

Lighting will be more intelligent and automatically adjust to the needs of whoever is using the space at a given time; future technologies will likely use data from external sources, factoring in weather, body heat, motion, time of day, etc., to more optimally light a room or venue.”

Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

UPGRADE AND BELL SYSTEM WITH NEW TECHNOLOGY

“IP audio” simply uses your network to connect speakers.

They look like regular speakers, but you get some extra advantage:

CD Quality Audio

Quick Installation

Reliable Operation

Automatic bell scheduling and any music or effect you want to use for the bells

“IP audio” means there is no limit to distance - if you move your offices you just unplug the microphone or speaker and reconnect it in the new location.

Lockdown and evacuation messages play at the press of a button

SCHOOL BELLS & BUZZERS MADE IN THE USA

Add new classrooms, new blocks, configure it in software, add the new speakers and plug them in.

Once the initial IP audio system is in place, future maintenance is quick and easy.

With the built-in remote scheduling function on the Netball products, it is super easy to expand your timed alert and school bell system.

• Control and program your bells easily from any PC • Simple to setup program • Easily extendable • Free Software is only needed to setup the scheduling – does not need a dedicated PC

ES FOR G A K C PA GTERM N O L / L RENTA AND SALE S LEA E LE NOW! AB AVAIL

THE LEADERS IN SCHOOL IP AUDIO PAGING AND BELL SYSTEMS

sales@edwardsnz.co.nz PROPERTY www.edwardsnz.co.nz

0800 433 927

Communicate better with paging and PA systems

By Mandy Clarke, Industry Reporter

or an ‘IP audio’ or networkbased system. Public address systems traditionally consist of input sources (e.g. microphones), amplifiers, control and monitoring equipment, and speakers all linked by cabling. IP audio sends sound over the internet or a network.

Using your existing network is a very convenient and cost-effective way to broadcast a bell sound, an announcement, breaking news, COVID-19 update, or other alert.

Student safety and wellbeing is, and always will be, top priority for an educator.

Working within a budget to risk assess and prioritise tasks around a school, with as much foresight as possible, is a responsibility that we all recognise and no-one takes it lightly. However, none of us could have predicted the 2020 pandemic. To hasten the safe return of students to classrooms post-lockdown, certain tasks skipped to the top of the collective to-do list; budgets have been squeezed, cleaning intensified, and signage and communications system upgrades have become more vital than ever.

Emergency warnings, prerecorded announcements, alarms, and lockdown drills are obviously

Image courtesy of PacificAV

vital to bolster safety during threats like fires, earthquakes, and intruders. Until now, we all massively under-estimated the importance of fast, clear, consistent communication across a school environment in the event of a pandemic. When it comes to an effective communication system, broadly speaking, you have a choice of two; either traditional amplifiers and speakers

School News consulted industry experts to find out more about PA solutions and systems of the future.

Jonathan Neil CEO of Edwards Sound Systems explains how IP audio solutions can be used to augment existing school systems…

If you already have speakers and the existing system is reasonably reliable you can use IP technology to add or link extra zones, or other features to the existing

system. The cost of implementing an IP-based audio system (or a ‘hybrid’ combination) might rival or even slightly exceed an analogue system but this is negated when you decide to add a new block, a new room, or want to change a zone. It is software-based so you can almost drag and drop the new configuration on the fly, instantly editing it.

In emergencies, alerts can be sounded by a button on the wall, microphone console, or a wireless remote. Alarm messages can also be triggered by external fire or burglar alerts. If a person is detected entering a restricted area the IP audio system can warn staff about unauthorised access.

Not just for emergencies: An IP-based audio system allows you to communicate everyday communication from a central area to individual classrooms, groups of rooms or to the whole

Image courtesy of PacificAV

MA708 Portable PA

• High quality and portable PA • Designed and made in Taiwan • Reliable and rugged design, making it ideal for use indoor and on the sports field • 190w 8” two way speaker system for clear and powerful sound • 4 radio mic capacity • Built in Bluetooth and CD/USB player options • Extension speaker available for even greater coverage • Portable with handle and wheels • Weather proof cover available • Stand available

Phone: +64 (9) 947 5230

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Mobile: 0274 902 256 www.pacificav.co.nz

Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

control third party devices such as projectors, TV monitors, and even lighting and HVAC systems. Any device connected to the system can be controlled centrally.

Image courtesy of Edwards Sound Systems

school. You can send prerecorded content, like wet lunch or lunch order reminders, change your old bell to the school song, or start a school radio station and broadcast that during preprogrammed hours. Both oneway and two-way systems are available and two-way systems can operate like an intercom.

Future-focused: There will be ongoing integration with smartphone control, interfacing with access control systems.

Remote management and support are already there.

Image courtesy of Edwards Sound Systems

Portable PAs: A good quality portable (battery powered) PA sound system is perfect for indoor and outdoor speech or music use, sports, pool areas, meetings,

school fields and assemblies. The built-in battery can cover more than 2000m2 and you can add extension speakers to extend coverage.

Teaching spaces are utilised everywhere in schools, including outdoors for sports days or performances, hence the need for a high quality but totally portable battery powered PA. Some brands offer multiple wireless mic options as well as built in Bluetooth, extension speakers, stands and covers for a total solution.

Lockdown - is your school safe?

Marcel Reinen, Pacific from Audio Visual told us that IP-based systems are a great option as they use the school IT network and make it totally expandable and cost effective. Often, they integrate the paging and bell system with a local classroom sound reinforcement system integrating the whole school and offering cost savings.

In schools today evacuation, lockdown, and alarms are a must have – as such they should be a simple, painless, and automated process for your school.

In emergencies, IP-based systems easily connect the entire school but also have the capability to control other equipment such as display devices to get them to show alert messages. Many systems also have the capability to send out emails to key staff for alerts. Alerts can be triggered in several ways including emergency button panels placed throughout the school as well as the off ice PC and even a mobile phone app.

Latest technologies: Now include built in control systems, available in each classroom to

• LOCAL INPUTS

• SCALABLE

• BUILT IN AMPLIFIER

• PAGING

• BLUETOOTH

• EASY TO USE BELL CALENDAR

• KEYPAD OR TOUCH PANEL FOR LOCAL CONTROL OF SOUND/ TV/PROJECTOR

Gone are the days of sending a runner to each classroom or putting anyone in the way of unnecessary harm.

Using the Fanvil and Algo ranges you have the flexibility to create a customised lockdown, evacuation and paging announcement solution for your school. These products are adaptable and will work with most existing paging systems (including the ones installed in the 1980/90’s) – meaning you can merge old and New Technologies and are still able to achieve the ideal solution for your school.

On top of the health and safety requirements that this solution provides – it also allows you to have a simple bell system in place that can be easily administered and tweaked years into the future from a pc anywhere.

For more information contact: sales@everlea.co.nz

• INTERCOM

Phone: +64 (9) 947 5230

Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

What about portable PAs?

Warning! Make sure someone is responsible for keeping these charged up between usage as there is nothing more annoying for the user, and it also damages the built-in batteries if they are stored flat.

• USA DESIGNED & MANUFACTURED

• NETWORK FRIENDLY – LOW BANDWIDTH

Future-focused: New developments include a Bluetooth module that is easily integrated into the classroom systems.

Some systems have local inputs integrating audio from local classroom sources such as laptops and mobile phones to the PA and Bell system. This is very important as it ensures paging and bells will always override local

audio sources and will mute them when a lockdown or fire alarm is triggered.

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Mobile: 0274 902 256 www.pacificav.co.nz

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Why schools need compost Richard Wallis, Chairman, The CarbonCycle Company

Making compost usually leads to growing food.

In schools, that means a fun escape from the classroom and a chance to pick up some handy life skills around food, nutrition and abundance. It also links with the sustainability curriculum, teaching about the interconnectedness of photosynthesis, growth and decomposition. How better to engage with that important topic than in the kitchen garden where the compost heap is cooking away; vegetables and fruit trees thrive; and the soil is spongy and moist.

In that environment it is hard to miss the cyclical nature of what’s going on. The green leaves of vegetation inhale carbon dioxide and suck water from the ground.

Sunshine falls on the leaves and a simple carbohydrate is formed: sugar. This particular combination of carbon and hydrogen is a powerful creative force. It generates all life, all biomass, all food. Over time this biomass dies and decomposes and releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere but mostly the composting biomass resolves itself into a carbon and nutrient rich compost. The carbon compounds in the compost give the soil a porous carbon structure that holds water so that plants and trees can thrive and photosynthesise even through dry periods. In this way the constant repetition of the cycle of photosynthesis, growth and compost generates a net flow of carbon out of the atmosphere and into the soil. That allows the soil to become deeper, more fertile, more resilient and more water retentive. It supports thriving crops, increased vegetative cover, photosynthesis, biomass, biodiversity and drawdown of carbon dioxide.

It is the cornerstone of a sustainable food system.

Images courtesy of The CarbonCycle Company

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Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

Linking with the sustainability curriculum to teach about interconnectedness, photosynthesis, growth and decomposition There is however a problem. The increasing use of synthetic nitrate fertilisers in agriculture in the past 70 years has more than doubled the natural levels of nitrates in the biosphere. The biosphere is a delicate balance of a number of working parts. It is unlikely that doubling one of its critical components would have no effect on the cycle. It’s likely effect would be to reverse the effect of the carbon cycle and result in a net flow of carbon from the soil to a build-up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. As we have observed the biosphere basically does two things, it generates organic compounds and decomposes them. It’s just like a massive diffuse compost heap and we know that doubling the amount of nitrogen in a compost heap would result in most of the precious carbon in the compost heap disappearing into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.

No custodian of the soil would squander soil carbon in that way.

This really just adds weight to what we already know: that the way we feed ourselves comes

with a heavy and unsustainable carbon footprint. We need to find a way to remove carbon emissions from our food and at the same time use food to restore massive quantities of carbon to the soil. Schools can play a big part in making this happen.

Composting food and green residues in schools diverts food waste from landfill, turns it into soil carbon and into local food for local consumption. All food grown with compost in a local context like this sequesters rather than emits carbon;eliminates the carbon cost of synthetic fertilizers; eliminates the oil cost of transporting food from where it is grown to the consumer; and of transporting food “waste” from every household every week to a centralised processing facility; and importantly it avoids methane emissions from landfill.

Each of these are contributions that every school can make and educators can take the lead in modelling and normalising sustainable food practices.

Premium quality composters making perfect compost

An ideal composting solution for schools - providing an educational opportunity to teach students about composting, gardening, waste reduction and the environment.

Please contact us for more information:

contact@carboncyclecompost.com

Term 3, 2020 | schoolnews.co.nz

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